Chinese builder unveils unmanned stealth trimaran for naval use

Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the China Shipbuilding Group, recently unveiled a new naval trimaran vessel capable of unmanned operations.

Hujinghao ("Orca") has all-aluminium construction, an LOA of 58 metres, a beam of 23 metres, a depth of four metres, a displacement of 500 tonnes, and a range of 4,000 nautical miles. The hull and the superstructure also boast radar-absorbing stealth features.

The vessel combines a trimaran design with a wave-piercing inverted bow to improve stability and maintain attitude. A hybrid propulsion system will enable the vessel to attain high transit speeds while still guaranteeing long endurance.

The trimaran is of modular construction to permit the integration of mission-specific modules for a range of naval missions such as anti-air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and strike warfare as well as secondary missions including search and rescue.

Gun armament can be fitted on a remote weapon station, while aft deck space is also available for use by a rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle. The electronics suite includes a phased array radar, which will allow 360-degree coverage.