THE LAST DECADE has seen steadily growing interest in small, highspeed combatant craft and ships. Vessels with shallow draft and the capability for high speed are used in a range of lengths and displacements for patrol vessels. Many of these vessels are powered by waterjet propulsion, which provides high propulsive efficiency at high speeds, shallow draft, and vectorable thrust at low ship speed. These qualities are well suited to vessels that operate in the littoral zone, must be highly maneuverable, and require acceleration capability and sustained speed to effectively prosecute missions.
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