Catamaran Developed for Naval Roles
Black Kite ultra-fast catamaran. Finmeccanica of Italy and Al Fattan Shipyard of the UAE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to form a joint venture for the development of the 100-knot plus ultra-fast catamaran.
In August, the prototype Black Kite Katamaran (BKK) was unveiled. The 15.7-meter (51.5ft) vessel was designed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) as well as maritime surveillance and mine countermeasures missions (MCM).
Al Fattan was responsible for the design and manufacture of the hull, leveraging their experience with offshore speed boats and racing craft, a popular sport in the UAE. The BKK hull is constructed from Kevlar-reinforced composite and is said that with the speeds it is capable of, could replace helicopters for some traditional roles in ASW and MCM.
AMI states that Al Fattan has also produced a 12-meter (39.4ft) prototype that is meant to fit in the well deck of amphibious vessels. This could lead to utilizing the BKK for ultra-high speed Special Forces interdiction operations or fast response support to troops already ashore.
Should BKK prove to be a viable platform, AMI anticipates that it could replace many MCM drones and possibly even some of the less capable mine countermeasures vessels (MCMV) currently in service with many navies. Also, in an ASW configuration, BKK could be transported to the area of operations in the well deck of an amphibious ship, and then utilized for shallow water ASW operations in the littorals.
Additional information on this article can be obtained by contacting Rick Dorn at AMI International (Tel: + 1 360 674 6494 or E-mail: rdorn@amiinter.com).