The Piranha USV is a 54 ft vessel that weighs less than 9000 lbs. It is designed for long range surveillance, patrol and anti-piracy operations. Sea trials will continue in the vicinity of Puget Sound, Washington state, for the next few months.
Here is a video of the Piranha at sea.
Carbon composite
The Piranha is built using Zyvex Technologies' Arovex™ carbon nanotube-reinforced carbon fibre prepreg. It was built by Columbus, Ohio, USA, headquartered Zyvex Technologies at its Seattle, Washington, facility.
According to Zyvex Technologies, the lightweight Piranha offers 10 times the range, three times the payload, and a 75% increase in fuel efficiency compared to vessels built from heavier materials such as aluminium.
The Piranha was initially developed for the unmanned military market, but there is also potential for a manned military or civilian variant. The estimated US$2 million boat has demonstrated a fuel consumption of 12 gallons per hour at a cruising speed of 24 kts. Compared to a traditional boat’s consumption of 50 gallons per hour, the Piranha offers a 75% reduction in fuel consumption costs.
Larger and smaller versions of the boat are also under consideration.
