Page 19: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1993)

Advanced Maritime Fast

Patrol Boat Under Development

By Atlantic Boat Group

Atlantic Boat Group of Atlanta,

Ga. has announced its intention to develop a new high-speed patrol boat. It will be powered by four

Textron Lycoming TF40 marine gas turbine engines in conjunction with two 16V-149TI DDEC Detroit Die- sel engines and Cincinnati Gear transmissions.

According to W. Dennis Suit, president, Atlantic Boat Group, the

Advanced Maritime Fast Patrol

Boat will be built of advanced com- posite construction with signifi- cantly reduced radar, thermal and acoustic signatures. The craft will have an overall length of 98 feet, draft of 4.5 feet, speed of 70 knots

Textron Lycoming TF40 marine gas turbine. and a range of 3,000 nautical miles.

It will be designed to carry an excep- tionally heavy load: 50,000 pounds of weapons or other special mission equipment.

The craft's propulsors will be twin wateijets coupled to four Textron

Lycoming TF40 gas turbine engines providing 18,000 shp for high speed operations. Commenting on the use of the TF40 gas turbine engine,

Carroll Oates, Lycoming's manager of marine industrial products, said, "This engine has proven reliable through more than 600,000 hours of operational experience in the U.S.

Navy's Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and is the only turbine in its hp Class to pass the rigorous 1,000 hour Navy qualification test. Fur- ther, the high power-to-weight ratio, excellent fuel economy, small size/ volume, and minimum maintenance requirements of the TF40 make it an excellent choice."

Two 16V- 149TI DDEC Detroit die- sels will provide 4,000 HP for low speed operations and long range cruise. The propulsion package will be coupled through Cincinnati Gear

MAI 10 transmissions in a combined diesel or gas (CODOG) installation

BOATS AND BARGES

Advanced Maritime Fast Patrol Boat t arrangement. Cincinnati Gear's extensive technical experience in the design, manufacture and testing of reduction gear systems for naval applications insist on minimal gear- box signature noise. The proposed propulsion package will enhance the utility of the boat by providing the added advantage of being able to bring the turbines on line for an extra surge of speed.

The craft is being developed to conform to the changing needs of worldwide navies as they plan for the 21st century. Primary consider- ations will be the resizing of naval forces and the need to command the seas and engage in and carry out missions in the complex operating environment of the earth's coastal regions.

Built of reconfigurable modules with multi-mission capabilities, the

Advanced Maritime Fast Patrol Boat will be able to be deployed in a hi- tech role as a guided missile patrol boat capable of carrying a wide range ng developed by Atlantic Boat Group. of surface-to-air (SAM) and surface- to-surface (SSM) missiles, includ- ing cruise missiles such as the Toma- hawk. Configured as a gun boat or close-in fire support platform, the boat will be capable of carrying an assortment of guns, mortars and rockets such as the MLRS. Addi- tionally, it will be able to be reconfigured to support special op- erations insertion/extraction mis- sions, as a delivery/support craft and/ or mine countermeasures opera- tions, as a mini-tender and/or com- mand, control, communications and intelligence (C3I) platform, and for anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

Preliminary design work is being performed by the naval architecture firm Sparkman & Stephens of New

York. A prototype is expected to be ready for initial performance and evaluation tests by the middle of 1994. For more information on the

Atlantic Boat Group,

Circle 33 on Reader Service Card

ULTRASONIC THICKNESS

TESTING CAN BE DONE

ON DECKS, BULKHEADS,

TANKS & HULL PLATES

WITHOUT GRINDING SPOTS

IN VALUABLE COATINGS! • Coatings DO NOT have to be removed — measures only the metal thickness • Do not have to destroy the integrity of perfectly good and costly coatings • No costly coating repairs • Saves time and money • Available in a variety of hand held models • Uses the multiple echo measuring technique

CYGNUS INSTRUMENTS, INC.

P.O. Box 3127

Annapolis, MD 21403

Tel.: 410-267-9771

Fax: 410-268-2013

DGPS Chart Viewer

The Navigation Instrument

The first practical deterrent to groundings caused by navigators' misjudging their position. A GPS of the 90's with 10 foot accuracy when supplied with its 6 channel differential receiver and precision chart display that positions you directly where your vessel is located in addition to the standard position in latitude and longitude. • Shows all depth markings and bottom contours. • Add/Delete Navaids. • Complete chart editing capability, each chart may be customized with more than 10 standard markings-buoys, wrecks, etc., in addition to your personal notes directly on the electronic chart. THIS INCLUDES NOTICE TO

MARINERS. Your initial chart is never outdated. • Enter your course and speed manually and you get underway without external navigational input, i.e..

ELECTRONIC DEAD RECKONING. • A complete navigational data base with bridge spans, height, and names, as well as, automatic search for all navigational buoys, etc. • 30 Voyages with 99 waypoints each. • Worldwide Charts/including Inland Waterways and Great

Lakes. • Gyro and Speed Log inputs for added precise positioning. • 12 Channel receiver option. • Size - 14" x 11" x 3" and weighs 7 lbs. • 500 In use worldwide. • Made in the U.S.A. • Customized Charts and Maps can be provided.

Built to the following Mil Spec Specifications: Water resistance and Salt exposure MIL-T 28800C paragraph 4.5.6.2. Vibratior 1.5G, 10-100H. Shock 5G peak, survives fall from 24".

Precise Navigation at a fraction of the price!

Electronic Marine Systems, Inc. 800 Ferndale Place, Rahway, NJ 07065 908-382-4344 • Fax: 908-388-5111 • Telex: 844 747 20 Circle 316 on Reader Service Card

Circle 238 on Reader Service Card

Maritime Reporter/Engineering News