Car Auto Design

Plane with a square shape having sides sloping like F-117 Nighthawk Lockheed Martin-made or flying wing B-2 Spirit Northrop output Gruman radar designed to be untraceable as they fly into the opponent's defense area.

The same approach is applied on surface warships. However, efforts to make the ship so as not terendus radar is much more difficult, because the size of a much larger ship than by plane and the upper deck (the superstructure) are looming.

Therefore, the designer is focusing on efforts to reduce the appearance of the ship on the screen radar cross section (radar cross-section/RCS). So instead of making the ship invisible on the radar screen altogether. With a small RCS, anti-ship missiles will get screwed and have trouble finding his target.

Another problem they face is the wake that appears when the ship set sail can be easily recognizable signs of the sky, not much different from the signs of heat on the aircraft. Fairway waves can be reduced by sinking the hull, so the ripples that appear can be reduced.

Also required special materials for coating certain parts that are stealth warship (stealth). This can be achieved with a hull coated with radar absorbing material (RAM) and composite materials. With this coating, then the energy will be reflected away from the missile radar seeker.

RAM used on the Spruance-class destroyers and Perry-class frigate of U.S. Navy property, with the result of the vessel is able to deceive radar.


Stealth ship should not have a lot of the superstructure because the buildings on the deck of the ship automatically adds RCS. Radar antenna and weaponry such as missile launchers and cannon muzzle which is characteristic of warships folded or placed below deck when not in use.

Launching a missile launcher carried out vertically from beneath the deck and the crew members are also not allowed on deck, because they become refletor radar.

Stealth warships too small if you can or minimalism so agile maneuver. The size should be as small as frigates and corvettes to be easy to approach the coastline. There are several ways to increase the speed of ships, among others, with a submerged hull (Submerged hull).

Pioneered a long time

Making all ships, even though such very large-sized aircraft carriers, to be invisible has long pioneered several countries.

Lockheed since 1984 has launched the "Sea Shadow", an experimental ship catamaran with the concept of a turtle-shaped to deflect radar energy.

The form is peculiar to the upper space is very limited obviously intended to reduce catches of radar. These patrol boats on both sides sloping like F-117 and no wake when sailing at sea.

With such qualities, "Sea Shadow" create "holes" or without any shadow on the radar screen opponent when sailing on a turbulent sea.

Exactly like the words of the wise, when playing "hide and seek, do not forget your own shadow."

Sweden also did not want to lose to the U.S. in the development of stealth ships. In 1986 the Swedish Defence Material Agency (FMV) initiated the development of a research vessel HMS Smyge stealth.

The project was launched in 1991 and later became the basis for the YS-2000 project, with the final result of Visby-class corvettes.

The U.S. also is developing programs Zumwalt-class destroyers, also known as the DD (X) or DDG-1000. The ship was designed as a ship multimisi with a focus on ground attack.

-DDG 1000 will have a low radar profile, and the crew a little cheaper than the sister ships operated. Stomach is like a car body (tumblehome hull form) will reduce the RCS, by restoring much radar energy than gastric vessels with a sharp angle.

Many operate

Stealth warships that have been operational and best-selling book is a La Fayette-class frigate built in France. 3600-ton frigate hull similar to the diamond fields that have the same RCS ship 500 tons. This ship is also coated with radar absorbing paint special.


One of the buyers are Taiwan in 1996. Lorient-made warships Shipyard is capable of "stealth" or called "the invisible warship", because the opponent's radar screen only able to capture light and thin does not even exist at all when tested in the waters of Taiwan, so that qualifies as a "warship invisible."

RSS formidable is the newest ship of Singapore Navy's (RSN), and is a derivative of La Fayette-class frigates. This ship is so far the most sophisticated frigates in South East Asia.

RSN frigate is equipped with a Sikorsky S-70B helicopter, which was developed from a helicopter of U.S. Navy SH-60B Seahawk.

Swedish Navy Visby-class corvettes have been operated, designed to minimize the optical and infrared markers, water and acoustic hidroakustik bookmark, magnetic bookmark, bookmark pressure, RCS and actively emitted signals.

HMS Visby was launched in June 2000. After undergoing testing weapons systems and cruise, this ship is to strengthen the Swedish Navy in January 2005. Visby class corvettes as many as five have been submitted to the Swedish Navy in 2007.

Corvette hull conventional but almost entirely of carbon composite that can only be detected at a distance of 13 km at sea and 22 km on a calm sea without jamming. On experiencing jamming environment, Visby was detected at a distance of 8 km in the open sea and 11 km on a calm sea.

Unlike the usual Navy ships, Visby has green paint. This corresponds to the operating area in shallow sea water is usually slightly greenish, not blue like the deep sea.

Without much fanfare has also received a Navy warship design invisible to radar (stealth). The warship is the SIGMA-class corvettes built at Schelde Naval Shipbuilding shipyard, Holland.

Navy will have four SIGMA corvettes 9113, with the first ship named KRI Diponegoro. Offshore patrol vessels with the ability to operate in open sea is docked at Tanjung Priok, Jakarta, on August 31, 2007 and reportedly has a low RCS. Three other ships are KRI Hasanuddin, KRI Sultan Iskandar Muda, and KRI Frans Kaisiepo.

KRI Diponegoro ability to deal with aircraft (anti-air warfare), surface vessels (anti-surface warfare), submarines (anti-submarine warfare) and the war of electronics such as radar disrupt the opponent.

With the coming era of stealth ships, gone are the days when the fire power and crumbled into the most efficient way in the protection and defense of a ship. The concept of the present is the act before or without being detected, experts say.

Resolution of the sea, according to the term used naval war expert Colonel (ret) Jacques J. Bally, such as the emergence of a variety of exotic design is needed because basically Western naval warship that is now being designed to operate most single purpose, namely to face the Soviet Union's warship fleet.

In other words, the design of the ships were a legacy of the Cold War.