First line of defence: The robotic jet ski that can see underwater when patrolling harbours for terrorists

• The Blackfish craft is 10ft-long and can travel on pre-programmed routes

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Last updated at 5:13 PM on 22nd July 2011

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Protecting moored ships from terrorists has proved a heavy load on the mind of naval commanders over the last decade.

Now scientists may have found the answer - a robotic jet ski that can see underwater and travel at speeds of up to 40mph.

The Blackfish craft is 10ft-long and can either be remote-controlled from a distance of up to one kilometre away or travel on pre-programmed routes.

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Blackfish: Scientists hope a robotic jet ski that can see underwater and travel at speeds of up to 40mph will protect moored ships from terrorist attacks

It is designed to prevent a suicide attack similar to Al-Qaeda's 2000 offensive on the U.S.S. Cole while it was docked in Yemen, an assault that claimed 17 lives.

Navy ships are particularly vulnerable to small boats and swimmers and it is this Achilles' Heel that scientists at British defence contractor QinetiQ hope the Blackfish will protect.

Mark Hewitt, a spokesman for QinetiQ North America, told Discovery: 'In both domestic and foreign ports, there’s great concern about swimmers approaching the boats underwater.

'The Navy has been working on the problem for some time.'

Engineers constructed the Blackfish by sawing the top half off a jet ski and equipping it with a video camera, underwater sonar and a surface radar - and possibly weapons sometime soon.

The Blackfish is designed to prevent a suicide attack similar to Al-Qaeda's 2000 offensive on the U.S.S. Cole while it was docked in Yemen, an assault that claimed 17 lives

More problematic was redesigning the jet ski so that it can travel at a slow speed.

Mr Hewitt said: 'It’s a jet ski, it goes fast. Human swimmers only go two knots.

'We solved the problem by adding bow thrusters, so you can turn off the main propulsion and track at low speeds.'

The Blackfish is also powered by a hydro-jet and not a propeller, so in the unlikely event of a collision with an innocent swimmer, injuries should be kept to a minimum.

Perhaps the greatest innovation is the pre-programmed patrol routes the Blackfish can be sent on based on a GPS navigation system.

Using a robotic jet ski to carry out the boring and dangerous duty of protecting the immediate waters around navy frigates saves both time, and possibly even lives.

Navy ships are particularly vulnerable to small boats and swimmers and it is this Achilles' Heel that scientists hope the Blackfish will protect

 

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