SBIR-STTR Award

This proposal outlines an approach to bring to the US. Government and industry a technology and concept for the development vessels capable of transiting the oceans at or above 300-400 knots and initially displacing 1000 to 5000 tons. While the speeds will remain subsonic, these vessels are not physically bound, and could grow to approximate ship dimensions and displacements, depending on mission. The wingship (soviet ekranoplan/wig) operationally and economically sits astride the present day ship and subsonic airplane. The military benefit is especially enhanced by the craft's natural low draft (10 feet or less) and low observable features; the wingship provides a means to carry significant payloads without at the same time becoming a high priority primary target. Commercially, in contrast to the hypersonic transport, the wingship offers low fare mass transit to anywhere in the world.

Aerocon is prepared to lead an initial program to: conduct preliminary design; develop engineering methodologies; conduct a basic test research program; and, undertake operational and economic assessment efforts aimed at sizing and demonstrating the feasibility of developing the wingship for military sea lift and commercial use. This effort will at first begin with a small group of individuals and firms later burgeoning to a full national aerospace consortium development program directed under appropriate government and industry leadership. The following sbir phase ii proposal is a small portion of a larger plan directed toward developing a major solution element of the immediate and compelling economic needs of the united states, its ocean commerce and military air/sea-lift capability. The tasks to be undertaken in this $500,000 effort are divided among five catagories which are included in the wingship first phase effort explained in the (sbir phase I) preceding report, reference 1. Figure 1 (extracted from the reference) shows three *engineering* developments and three *programmatic* efforts belonging to the comprehensive $50 million wingship first phase program. In the present proposal, we have identified tasks in all of the categories illustrated in figure 1, but have combined the commitment studies and relational economic and environmental impact studies into a single category. The percentage of spending or level of effort for this sbir phase ii will be approximately the same as that indicated in figure 1. The phase ii effort will be expected to raise substantial confidence among significant military and commercial leadership groupings. These individuals and government organizations are faced today with major problems that only a 400 knot or faster, 1500 ton payload vehicle can solve. The phase ii efforts outlined in this proposal will be expected to calrify the urgent need for the united states (and several private business interests) to move strongly into the fifty million dollar first phase wingship development program, and beyond. Anticipated benefits/potential commercial applications - development of wingships will open vast new dimensions for commercial ocean transport and touris

Keywords:
merchant ship rapid developme high speed forward basing marine vehicles ocean vessels wingships tran