Sweden Deploys the First Operational Stealth Warship

The country that gave us Volvos, Saabs and ABBA has developed what it claims is the world's first fully operational stealth warship that is essentially invisible to radar.

The two Visby-class corvettes will enter service by the end of the year. They are made from composite materials and use Rolls-Royce water jets to make them electronically undetectable at more than eight miles in rough seas and more than 14 in calm waters. The ship's acoustic and optical signatures are lowered by its non-magnetic hull that, like the F-117 Nighthawk, features large, flat surfaces and sharp angles. The water jets are 10 to 15 decibels quieter than propellers.

I wonder how effective these warships will be. I like the concept of a stealth warship, but how does this fit into Sweden's operational directives?

My guess is that this will probably be more valuable as an economic tool, for export to countries which reuire a strong navy (Iran, India, China primarily).

Read the whole article here

These ships were made to detect & keep foreign submarines out of Swedish waters.

The first of these ships were operational in early 2000-2001.

In the early 1980's Sweden had several intrusions by Submarines in their waters, and a Soviet made Whiskey class submarine went aground in the 'Karlskrona Archipelago' near a naval base.

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