M80 Stiletto The M80 Stiletto is a prototype naval ship manufactured by the M Ship Company as an operational experiment for The Pentagon ’ s Office of Force Transformation . It is notable for its Pentamaran hull design and carbon fiber construction , as well as its networked architecture . Design . The M80 Stiletto is a U . S . Navy vessel designed for combat in littoral waters . It takes the name from the Italian Stiletto , a short knife or dagger . The long vessel has a notable hull design , an M - shaped hull that provides a stable yet fast platform for mounting electronic surveillance equipment or weapons , or for conducting special operations . The hull design does not require foils or lifting devices to achieve a smooth ride at high speeds in rough conditions . Its shallow draft means the M80 Stiletto can operate in littoral and riverine environments and potentially allows for beach landings . The faceted design suggests that the vessel has a low radar signature ( i . e . , stealth ) in the frontal aspect and somewhat so from the sides . The M80 Stiletto is equipped with four Caterpillar , Inc . C32 1232 kW ( 1652 HP ) engines yielding a top speed in excess of and a range of when fully loaded . It can be outfitted with jet drives for shallow water operations and beaching . It has a topside flight deck for launching and retrieving UAVs and a rear ramp that can launch and recover an 11 - meter rigid - hull inflatable boat ( RIB ) or Autonomous Underwater Vehicle ( AUV ) . It weighs 45 tons unloaded , light enough that it can be hoisted onto a cargo ship , while still able to carry up to 20 tons of cargo . The ship is in length , with a width of and a height of , yet has a draft of only . The M80 Stiletto is the largest U . S . naval vessel built using carbon - fiber composite and epoxy building techniques , which yields a very light but strong hull . The prototype M80 Stiletto is expected to be in use in less than one year . Ships are expected to cost between $ 6 and $ 10 million . Historically , ships have evolved to become narrower and deeper to achieve speed and stability . The M Hull however become wider , because its distinctively wide hull captures the vessel ’ s bow wave and redirects the energy under the hull . The Stiletto ’ s double - M hull enables the craft to achieve an unequaled ride in rough seas at high speed , which is critical for the Navy SEALS and other Special Operations Forces , because it reduces the G - forces and related injuries these personnel are subjected to during training and on missions . The Stiletto is being tested by the United States Navy SEALs and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen , who operate small , fast craft in the rough littoral seas for which the vessel was designed . Operational history . In 2006 and 2007 , the Stiletto participated in Trident Warrior exercises , as well as a number of other naval exercises . This included three days of mine - clearing experimentation during Exercise Howler in 2006 , when the vessel was operated by the Naval Special Clearance Team - 1 ( NSCT - 1 ) from the Naval Amphibious Base in Coronado . A key feature of this vessel is that it can set up a network between a special forces team by launching an unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV ) that relays information between the team and boat . The Stiletto can also carry surveillance UAVs to provide reconnaissance for the SEAL team , and , using a clustered supercomputer on board , will be able to send real - time images to the team on shore . The Stiletto was selected by Time magazine as one of the Best Inventions of 2006 and one of two inventions in the Armed Forces category . San Diego - based CONNECT named the M80 Stiletto as the Most Innovative New Product for 2006 in the General Technology category . In 2008 , the Stiletto deployed on a 70 day mission for USSOUTHCOM as part of a joint agency operation that included the Drug Enforcement Administration and U . S . Coast Guard . In July 2012 , the US Navy deployed a Stiletto to retrieve the NASA Inflatable Reentry Vehicle Experiment 3 ( IRVE - 3 ) test article with 3 m ( 9 . 8 ft ) diameter heat shield which splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina after being launched on July 23 by a sounding rocket from NASA ' s Wallops Flight Facility . The Stiletto is referred to as a maritime demonstration craft operated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock , Combatant Craft Division , and based at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Ft Story , Va .