Boat builders looking for new mission: Weapons and Warfare

May 01, 2024 at 03:00 AM CDT

In this episode of Weapons and Warfare, meet a longtime boat maker hoping to turn its racing background into a tool for the military.

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In this episode of Weapons and Warfare, head out on the Potomac River with host Ryan Robertson as he visits a longtime boat maker. Ghostworks Marine is a maritime company hoping to turn its yacht racing background into a winning formula for special operations forces.

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Also featured in this episode:

The United States is planning to pull out from a West African nation, but that could be cause for concern if the country turns to Russia or Iran for help.
A German manufacturer is setting up shop in the Baltics, bringing more security to the region.
The Army axed its plans for a new helicopter program, saying its mission has changed, leaving hundreds looking for new work.
Plus, this episode’s weapon of the week is an unmanned assault aircraft from Bell, which could be a big player in the future of America’s national defense.

You can subscribe to the Weapons and Warfare podcast on the platform of your choosing here.

Ryan Robertson is the anchor of the Straight Arrow News video podcast Weapons and Warfare. He wore many hats in his career — from photographer to news director — and firmly believes honest journalism will save our Republic.

Tags: Helicopter, Iran, Russia, U.S. Army, U.S. military, United States Special Operations Command, War, West Africa

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[RYAN ROBERTSON]

HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE, FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON. JUST AHEAD ON THIS EPISODE, WE GET PERMISSION TO BOARD A CRAFT FROM A MICHIGAN BOAT MAKER THAT COULD MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS UNITS.

PLUS THE MAKERS BEHIND OUR WEAPON OF THE WEEK SAY IT’S THE NEXT EVOLUTION IN DRONES AND TILT ROTOR AIRCRAFT….TURNS OUT WHEN YOU DON’T NEED TO ACCOUNT FOR HUMANS, THE CRAFT CAN BE RATHER REMARKABLE…

AND IN OUR COMMS CHECK, WE’VE GOT DUELING MANTAS COMPETING FOR OPEN-WATER MISSIONS.

BUT FIRST, SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED.

WITH ALL THAT’S HAPPENING IN GAZA, AND UKRAINE, NEWS THAT THE U-S MILITARY IS PULLING OUT OF NIGER MAY HAVE FLOWN UNDER YOUR RADAR,

BUT IT’S A DEVELOPMENT FEW, IF ANY, IN AMERICAN LEADERSHIP ARE HAPPY ABOUT. THIS IS THE LATEST DOMINO TO FALL AFTER A MILITARY COUP IN THE WEST AFRICAN NATION IN 2023.

SO AFTER SPENDING MORE THAN A DECADE AND A BILLION DOLLARS INVESTING IN A COUNTERTERRORISM MISSION, PLANS ARE UNDERWAY TO WITHDRAW MORE THAN 1,000 U-S SERVICE MEMBERS.

[Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder]

“Clearly, when it comes to Western Africa and the Sahel, we are going to continue to monitor for potential threats throughout that region in order to protect U.S. personnel, assets, and our interests, to include the welfare of our partners, and we’re going to continue to work with countries throughout the region when it comes to addressing terrorism threats throughout the region.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IF YOU’RE WONDERING WHY THIS IS AN ISSUE, NIGER IS SURROUNDED BY SEVERAL COUNTRIES WHOSE MILITIAS HAVE TIES TO AL QADEA AND ISIS. BEYOND THAT, IT APPEARS THE COUNTRY OF 26 MILLION PEOPLE IS TURNING TO RUSSIA AND IRAN FOR SECURITY SERVICES AND DEALS ON THEIR URANIUM RESERVES.

GERMAN AUTOMOTIVE AND ARMS MAKER, RHEINMETALL,

IS SET TO OPEN AN AMMUNITION PLANT IN LITHUANIA. THAT’S AFTER THEIR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC PROGRAM ORGANIZATION SIGNED THE DEAL IN VILNIUS IN MID-APRIL. IT’S A MOVE THOSE INVOLVED HOPE WILL BOOST SECURITY IN THE BALTIC REGION. LITHUANIA, LIKE UKRAINE, BROKE AWAY FROM THE USSR IN 1991.

AND MORE FALLOUT FROM THE ARMY’S DECISION TO CANCEL THEIR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT. OR FARA PROGRAM. THAT HELICOPTER WAS GOING TO REPLACE THE NEARLY 60-YEAR-OLD BELL O-H-58 KIOWA BUT IN FEBRUARY THE ARMY, CITING THE CHANGING NATURE OF THEIR MISSION, PULLED THE PLUG, AND NOW 400 EMPLOYEES, MANY OF THEM AT THE SIKORSKY PLANT IN STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT WILL BE LAID-OFF. WHILE SPEAKING ABOUT THE DECISION TO CANCEL THE PROGRAM THE ARMY’S CHIEF OF STAFF, GENERAL RANDY GEORGE, SAID…

[Gen. Randy George]

“We are learning from the battlefield — especially Ukraine — that aerial reconnaissance has fundamentally changed. Sensors and weapons mounted on a variety of unmanned systems and in space are more ubiquitous, further reaching and more inexpensive than ever before.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]
THE ARMY ALSO PLANS TO END PRODUCTION ON THE UH-60 V BLACK HAWK IN FISCAL 2025, DUE TO “SIGNIFICANT COST GROWTH.”

———————————————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THIS YEAR’S ‘SEA, AIR, SPACE 2024’ EXPOSITION PUT ON BY THE NAVY LEAGUE, SERVED A LOT OF PURPOSES.

IT WAS A CHANCE FOR AMERICA’S MARITIME LEADERSHIP TO TALK ABOUT WHERE THEIR RESPECTIVE BRANCHES ARE AND WHERE THEY’RE HEADED.

IT WAS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL KINDS OF COMPANIES TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH POTENTIAL GOVERNMENT BUYERS.

ONE SUCH COMPANY THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE WAS GHOSTWORKS MARINE.

THIS BOAT MAKER, BASED IN HOLLAND, MICHIGAN IS BRINGING THEIR EXTENSIVE HISTORY IN HIGH PERFORMANCE YACHT RACING, TO THE MILITARY SPACE.

AND THEY THINK THEIR LATEST PRODUCTS, THE G-T-34 POWER CAT, AND IT’S SLIGHTLY SMALLER SIBLING, THE G-T-24, COULD BE BIG PLAYERS FOR AMERICA’S SPECIAL FORCES.

ON THE OUTSIDE, THE GT-34 LOOKS LIKE A VERY MODERN CENTER CONSOLE BOAT. BUT IT’S WHAT’S UNDERNEATH THAT TAKES THE VESSEL THE NEXT LEVEL.

[Patrick Coughlin, Dir. of Operations, Ghostworks Marine]

“Both our M-Line and our GT Line look to capture bow wave energy as opposed to fight it. Right. So when our boats push through the water, we actually push the water up and back, and it spins in the tunnels underneath, right? So it creates hydrodynamic lift across the entire hull form. And we lift out of the water and we go for a run. So we’re not fighting the water, we’re using it to actually lift us up, which drastically reduces drag, which gives us much higher speeds,”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IT’S CALLED THE M-HULL AND GHOSTWORKS SAYS INCREASED SPEED AND FUEL EFFICIENCY ARE WHERE THE BENEFITS OF THE DESIGN BEGIN. THE REAL PAYOFF IS IN THE RIDE..

[RYAN SOT]

“Now that we’re out on the water and at speed or about 35 knots, right, so one of the things you really start to notice is just how smooth of a ride it really is. This boat will make it easier for any platform or sensor on top to perform better, and also lower the wear and tear on the operators themselves.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

GHOSTWORKS DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, PATRICK COUGHLIN, SAYS THE HULL DESIGN REDUCES THE WAVE SLAP IMPACT ON OPERATORS BY AS MUCH AS 60%.

[Patrick Coughlin, Dir. of Operations, Ghostworks Marine]

“What we’ve seen is when we talk to operators and small boat guys especially is their hurt their, their lower backs, hurt or damaged their knees or hurt, their ankles are tired. And if you go out on a two, three-hour patroller insertion, then you’re expected to do your mission. Then you got to do another two, or three hours home on something that’s effectively a workout in itself. They’re just exhausting. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

OF COURSE THE ONLY WAY TO KNOW HOW SMOOTH THAT RIDE IS, IS TO TAKE ONE. SO THAT’S WHAT WE DID. ON A BEAUTIFUL SPRING DAY WE HEADED OUT TO THE POTOMAC WITH THE GHOSTWORKS CREW ONBOARD THE G-T-34 POWER CAT.

THROUGH ITS UNIQUE APPLICATION OF RACING TECH– GHOSTWORKS SAYS IT CAN HELP MEET IMMEDIATE MILITARY NEEDS.

[Ryan SOT]

“Why did it take so long to combine all of these many factors to make one boat that has it all, and that’s so efficient.”

[Todd Meyer, Ghostworks Demo Pilot]

“I think people are resistant to change, and their stuff is tried and true. And you really know how it works. And this is developmental. So it takes a certain person or a certain application where they’re like, we, we want to go that way we want to see, you know, because there’s some some inherent learning curves that you’re gonna have to assume. ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ANOTHER SELLING POINT FOR GHOSTWORKS, CUSTOMIZATION.

[Patrick Coughlin, Dir. of Operations, Ghostworks Marine]

“You can build whatever type of cabin you need on it, we can carry lots of weight and payloads, but you’re gonna have the exact same ride principles and the exact same control capabilities. And in the smooth ride that you’re experiencing out on the water today, you’re going to have regardless of how you want to config the top.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

SOMETHING ELSE THAT REALLY HELPS SET GHOSTWORKS APART, TIME. ACCORDING TO THE COMPANY, MOST BUILDS ONLY TAKE SIX TO NINE MONTHS TO COMPLETE.

LASTLY A QUICK THANK YOU TO SYDNEY KLEBER FOR GETTING US ON THE G-T-34, AND TO TODD MEYER, THE MAN RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING US UP AND DOWN THE POTOMAC SAFELY.

———————————————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

IF THERE’S A COMMON THREAD IN THE WAY FUTURE CONFLICTS WILL BE CONTESTED IT’S THE WORD UNMANNED.

WHETHER IT’S AUTONOMOUS OR REMOTELY PILOTED, THE TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY ENOUGH THESE VEHICLES ARE ALREADY BEING FACTORED INTO BATTLE PLANS.

WHILE OUR ENTRY FOR WEAPON OF THE WEEK ISN’T YET A PART OF THOSE PLANS…

IT SOON COULD BE.

THIS IS THE BELL V-2-4-7 VIGILANT….AND I’M REALLY EXCITED TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT.

IF IT LOOKS SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR THERE’S A REASON FOR THAT.

T’S THE UNMANNED VERSION OF THE BELL V-280 VALOR. THE LONG-RANGE ASSAULT AND UTILITY TILT-ROTOR AIRCRAFT CHOSEN BY THE ARMY TO REPLACE THE LONG-SERVING SIKORSKY U-H-60 BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER.

ROB FREELAND, THE DIRECTOR OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WITH BELL, SAYS RIGHT NOW THE VIGILANT IS A CONCEPT PROJECT, BUT IT HAS BIG AMBITIONS.

[Rob Freeland]

“The Vigilant is a tilt-rotor that’s designed from the ground up to take all of the human stuff out and give you as much range as you can out of a system…Folks always want to carry more stuff, to have an effect on the enemy. What really helps is when you can launch from an unknown areas and affect a large part of the battlespace from that unknown spot. It keeps the enemy thinking.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

THOSE ENEMIES MIGHT HAVE A LOT TO THINK ABOUT. A BUILT-IN FEATURE OF THE VIGILANT IS VERSATILITY. THE FOLKS AT BELL SEE THE PROJECT BEING ABLE TO FILL SEVERAL MISSIONS.

[Rob Freeland]

“If you design something that has a lot of vertical lift capability and you can fold it up up and stuff it into the hanger on a destroyer, you don’t have to remote pilot it. It’s rules based autonomous. And you can pull that that girl out, spin her up and get out to many hundreds of miles and hang out for a long period of time. You can do anything, ”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

INCLUDED IN ANYTHING IS GATHERING INTEL WITH SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE, PRECISION STRIKES, AERIAL ESCORTS, AS WELL AS DELIVERING SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT TO TROOPS ON THE GROUND, JUST TO NAME A FEW.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE SPECS?

BELL SAYS THE 2-4-7 CAN HIT A TOP SPEED OF 300 PLUS KNOTS PER HOUR, AND HAS A LONG-RANGE CRUISING SPEED OF 240 PLUS KNOTS PER HOUR. WITH A CEILING OF 25,000 FEET THE VIGILANT CAN ALSO CARRY AN INTERNAL LOAD OF 2,000 POUNDS AND A SLING LOAD OF 9,000 POUNDS.

THE NEXT STEP FOR BELL, FINDING THE RIGHT PARTNERS FOR THE PROJECT.

[Rob Freeland]

“The Navy is very interested in something that can take off vertically from a destroyer and get out to really long ranges that are relevant to them and their warfight. The Marine Corps is really interesting in using this. And once you get the basic aircraft in place, there’s all kinds of stuff you can do with it. You can even do logistics work with. So the idea is a multi-mission aircraft, and we’ve come a long way in that in that design.”

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ONE FINAL THOUGHT, A BIG THANK YOU TO BELL’S DIRECTOR OF GLOBAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS, JEREMY MARTIN, AND ROB FREELAND, FOR THE INVITE AND TOUR OF BELL’S ADVANCED VERTICAL LEFT CENTER. IT WAS A VISIT WE WON’T SOON FORGET.

———————————————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

TIME NOW FOR OUR COMMS CHECK, AND THIS WEEK WE HAVE AN UPDATE ON A FORMER WEAPON OF THE WEEK… KIND OF.

BACK IN BACK IN FEBRUARY WE PROFILED THE K4 MANTA FROM THE KRAKEN TECHNOLOGY GROUP. YOU CAN SEE IT RIGHT HERE.

SO IMAGINE OUR SURPRISE WHEN NORTHRUP GRUMAN ANNOUNCED THEY HAD FINISHED BUILDING A FULL-SIZE UNCREWED UNDERWATER VEHICLE PROTOTYPE. THE NAME OF ITS UUV? YOU GUESSED IT, THE MANTA RAY.

THIS MANTA WAS BUILT THOUGH GRUMAN’S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY, ALSO KNOWN AS DARPA.

WHILE THE TWO VARY IN SOME NOTABLE WAYS, IT SEEMS THEIR OBJECTIVES ARE FAIRLY SIMILAR. THEY’RE BOTH TARGETING LONG-RANGE AND PAYLOAD-CAPABLE UNDERSEA MISSIONS WITHOUT THE NEED FOR A HUMAN ON BOARD RUNNING THE PLATFORM.

AS FOR THEIR DIFFERENCES, THE K4 USES FOIL TECHNOLOGY TO CRUISE AT THE WATER’S SURFACE, MINIMIZING DRAG. WHILE NORTHRUP GRUMAN’S VERSION LOOKS MORE LIKE ITS NAMESAKE AND OPERATES LIKE IT AS WELL, GLIDING THROUGH THE WATER RATHER THAN ON TOP OF IT.

STARTED IN 2020 THE MANTA RAY RECENTLY RECEIVED THE GO AHEAD FOR PHASE 2 TESTING. THAT MEANS NORTHROP GRUMMAN WILL WORK ON SUBSYSTEMS, AS WELL AS FABRICATION AND IN-WATER DEMONSTRATION.

AS FOR THE K4, THE LAST PUBLIC UPDATE WAS THAT IT HAD SUCCESSFULLY TAKEN PART IN A TECHNICAL EXPERIMENTATION EVENT WITH THE U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND.

THAT’S GOING TO DO IT FOR THIS WEEK’S COMMS CHECK BUT REMEMBER…IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR THOUGHT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH US… YOU CAN…

JUST HIT US UP AT WEAPONSANDWARFARE@SAN.COM.

———————————————————–

[RYAN ROBERTSON]

ALRIGHT FOLKS…THAT JUST ABOUT DOES IT FOR US HERE AT WEAPONS AND WARFARE…BUT BEFORE WE GO… I WANT TO WRAP UP THE SHOW TALKING A LITTLE ABOUT THE PROTESTS WE’VE SEEN ON AMERICAN COLLEGE CAMPUSES THE LAST FEW WEEKS SLASH MONTHS

NOW, BEFORE I START I WANT TO SAY I’VE COVERED PROTESTS ON THE GROUND AS PART OF A FIELD CREW…AND WE MADE DISTINCTIONS IN OUR REPORTING BETWEEN PROTESTERS CALLING FOR SOCIETAL CHANGE–AND AGITATORS OUT FOR DESTRUCTION.

SO, WHEN IT COMES TO THE PROTESTERS AGAINST ISRAEL…SPECIFICALLY–I’M TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE PROTESTING IN SUPPORT OF HAMAS…

A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION WITH TIES DATING BACK TO THE NAZIS.

NOW, I SAY PROTESTORS…BUT I’M NOT REALLY SURE IF THAT’S THE RIGHT WORD TO DESCRIBE THESE FOLKS. AGITATORS MAY CERTAINLY BE MORE PRECISE……IN SOME CASES–TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER IS MORE APT.

NOW, IN THE WORDS OF BOY SETS FIRE–ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE PUNK ROCK BANDS, PROTEST IS PATRIOTISM. LET ME SAY THAT AGAIN. PROTEST IS PATRIOTISM.

IN THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO PEACEABLY ASSEMBLE, AND PETITION OUR GOVERNMENT FOR A REDRESS OF GRIEVANCES…

AND WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH ABOUT YOUR COUNTRY TO TAKE THE TIME TO GATHER SOMEWHERE AND SAY NO, WE DON’T LIKE THIS…WE WANT SOMETHING BETTER…. THAT’S PATRIOTIC.

BUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THE CAMPUSES OF SOME OF OUR NATION’S SCHOOLS ISN’T PATRIOTIC BECAUSE IT ISN’T EVEN PROTEST.

IF YOU WANT TO TAKE A STANCE AGAINST THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT’S OFFENSIVE IN GAZA…OR AMERICAN AID TO THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT…OKAY, WE MAY NOT AGREE BUT THAT IS AN INTELLECTUAL VIEW POINT I CAN AT LEAST UNDERSTAND…BUT WHEN YOU HAVE GROUPS OF PEOPLE IN AMERICA SAYING THEY ARE HAMAS…THAT INTIFADA SHOULD COME TO THE U.S…THAT ISN’T PROTEST.

THAT IS CALLING FOR OPEN WARFARE IN THE STREETS AGAINST SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS ALIKE.

IT’S CALLING FOR OCTOBER 7 STYLE MASSACRES TO BE CARRIED OUT HERE.

IF YOU THINK WE HAVE A GUN PROBLEM IN AMERICA…GOD HELP US IF WE START TO HAVE AN INTIFADA PROBLEM TOO.

NOW, THIS IS HISTORICAL FACT AND I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO LOOK IT UP IF YOU THINK I’M WRONG—

HAMAS IS AN OFF-SHOOT OF THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD…

AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS DIRECT TIES TO THE NAZIS.

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LOVED HITLER SO MUCH, THEY HAD PORTIONS OF MEIN KAMPF TRANSLATED INTO ARABIC…BECAUSE KILLING JEWS, GYPSIES, PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND MEMBERS OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY WAS A UNIFYING CAUSE FOR THESE MURDEROUS MANIACS

SO, TO THE PEOPLE ALIGNING YOURSELVES WITH HAMAS–

WHILE YOU MAY THINK YOU’RE STANDING UP TO AN ALLEGED GENOCIDE…

WHAT YOU’RE REALLY DOING IS SUPPORTING PAST ATROCITIES…

AND CALLING FOR NEW ONES.

THAT ISN’T PROGRESSIVE. THAT ISN’T FORWARD THINKING…

IT’S BARBARISM …

AND I HOPE THOSE SUPPORTING IT FEEL THE SHAME OF THEIR ACTIONS AND CHANGE THEIR WAYS VERY SOON…WHILE ALSO UNDERSTANDING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS.

AND THAT IS GOING TO PUT AN END TO THE ACTION HERE THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE. SURE DO HOPE YOU LEARNED SOMETHING.

AS ALWAYS, IF YOU WANT TO SHARE A THOUGHT OR OPINION WITH US, PLEASE DO BY EMAILING WEAPONS AND WARFARE AT SAN.COM.

FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER AND GRAPHICS DESIGNER DAKOTA PITEO…I’M RYAN ROBERTSON FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS—SIGNING OFF.

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