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Swedish Visby-Class Corvette Is First Operational Stealth Ship in the World [PHOTOS]
Gizmodo ^
| 6 Feb., 2009
| Gizmodo
Posted on 02/06/2009 6:21:30 AM PST by MyTwoCopperCoins
![](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/02/visby.jpg)
The future is here: This water-based Imperial Star Destroyer is really the spectacular Swedish Visby-Class corvette, the first operational stealth ship in the world, powered with silent waterjets and made with non-magnetic composite materials.
According to the experts, the corvettes are "electronically undetectable at more than 8 miles in rough seas and at more than 13.5 miles in calm seas". Their creation was an answer to the incursion of foreign submarines in Swedish waters in the mid-eighties.
The corvettes are designed to travel at more than 35 knots in between the many beautiful islands that populate Sweden's shallow coast, thanks to waterjets-made by Rolls-Royce subsidiary Kamewa-that reduce their draft. Their mission will be to quickly patrol their territorial waters while hunting for enemy submarines and other ships.
While I prefer to travel the Swedish coast on a sailing ship, I wouldn't mind getting a quick surf on these things when they enter in service at the end of this year (as they are probably staffed with non-stealth blonde valkyries.)
![](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/02/1-swedens-visby.jpg)
![](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/gizmodo/2009/02/4-swedens-visby.jpg)
[Naval Technology]
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: corvette; navy; stealth; sweden
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To: sukhoi-30mki
Some would argue that the French Lafayette class frigates were the first stealth vessels. No way - the CSS Texas, January 1865, got there first...
41
posted on
02/06/2009 7:29:35 AM PST
by
Jeff F
(austinaero; Phoenix11; WaterBoard)
To: NCC-1701
How can you take pictures of a ship that is supposed to be invisible? {:-)
42
posted on
02/06/2009 7:29:52 AM PST
by
Islander7
(If you want to anger conservatives, lie to them. If you want to anger liberals, tell them the truth.)
To: MyTwoCopperCoins
Pretty sure radar can pick up that wake.
43
posted on
02/06/2009 7:35:06 AM PST
by
Uncle Miltie
(This is not an Administration. It is a Sitcom.)
To: PugetSoundSoldier
Of course, radar isn’t confused by paint which means the paint is there for human eyes and I’ve never seen a 90 degree wave. But then the Navy didn’t ask me so it’s mute.
44
posted on
02/06/2009 7:37:56 AM PST
by
bgill
To: stormer
Hmmm. Wouldn’t those red flags raise uh, a “red flag”?
To: SkyPilot
To: Jeff F
I am assuming this is a model, but whatever-— Where is this craft and is there a link to it?
47
posted on
02/06/2009 7:41:59 AM PST
by
Bender2
("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
To: ArrogantBustard
"Ouch ... that hurts to look at..."
I think you're exaggerating a little. If your comment had been about this picture:
![image image](http://www.proudtobecanadian.ca/images/j-l/Helen_Thomas.jpg)
then you would have been making an understatement.
To: Texan Tory
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
49
posted on
02/06/2009 7:59:10 AM PST
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: Bender2
The photo is from the movie Sahara. You can read about the actual CSS Texas on Wikipedea:
CSS_Texas.
Sadly, there are not surviving Civil War era records of her sonar, and infrared signature, and radar cross section tests results.
50
posted on
02/06/2009 8:01:21 AM PST
by
Jeff F
(austinaero; Phoenix11; WaterBoard)
To: Jeff F
Re:
The photo is from the movie Sahara.
Gadzooks! Of course...
excuse my senior moment!
51
posted on
02/06/2009 8:08:16 AM PST
by
Bender2
("I've got a twisted sense of humor, and everything amuses me." RAH Beyond this Horizon)
To: MyTwoCopperCoins
THAT is one sexy looking ship!
Oh would I love to have something like that in the 85-125’ range.
52
posted on
02/06/2009 8:09:41 AM PST
by
Eye of Unk
(How strangely will the Tools of a Tyrant pervert the plain Meaning of Words! SA)
To: MyTwoCopperCoins
Nice looking craft. I have a question however for you Swede experts.
Who would Sweden be fighting with this craft? Are they worried about defense, and if so, who are they worried about?
Just curious.
53
posted on
02/06/2009 8:13:54 AM PST
by
alarm rider
("We laugh at honor, and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" C.S. Lewis)
To: Travis T. OJustice
T’was my first thought as well. I’ve navigated some tight channels, but that looks harrowing.
54
posted on
02/06/2009 8:52:16 AM PST
by
ExpatGator
(Extending logic since 1961.)
To: MyTwoCopperCoins
I wish I had enough money for one of these.
55
posted on
02/06/2009 9:14:07 AM PST
by
Vendome
To: alarm rider
The article references submarines violating their territorial waters.
I'll give you three guesses who owns those submarines.
56
posted on
02/06/2009 9:15:26 AM PST
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: ArrogantBustard
I saw that, but I was unsure. The Russkies?
Seems interesting that they would spend that much time and money developing this ship if they weren’t nervous.
Anyway, thanks for the information.
57
posted on
02/06/2009 9:22:20 AM PST
by
alarm rider
("We laugh at honor, and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" C.S. Lewis)
To: alarm rider
It was indeed USSR/Russia. It’s not entirely clear (at least, that anybody is willing to talk about) what they were up to, but Sweden has been perturbed about the whole business for years.
58
posted on
02/06/2009 9:27:27 AM PST
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilization is Aborting, Buggering, and Contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: MyTwoCopperCoins
Very pretty, but can they fight?
59
posted on
02/06/2009 9:30:08 AM PST
by
wtc911
("How you gonna get back down that hill?")
To: redstateconfidential
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