Chinese Naval Hobie Cat Catamaran War Ship – Yet Another Copy

Anything they can do, we can do better, but anything we do they copy before we are completed. Over the years I’ve been personally conflicted with the notion of sharing our University research with the general public.

On one hand I want all the information I can wrap my brain around, and I know my taxpayer dollar partly funded it so, give it to me. On the other hand, I realize that these researchers want to publish right away and give talks at symposiums around the world for their notoriety and to keep their academic institution at the top of the heap. Unfortunately, this immediately publish and perish world of high-tech science often has research that lends itself well to military technologies, meaning the Russians, Chinese, or other nations building competing war toys, get it for free – again I realize that my tax dollar paid for it, so why is the taxpayer paying for the competition to have our military technologies?

There was an interesting piece in Sino Defense News online on August 21, 2013 titled; “Type 022 (Houbei Class) Fast Attack Missile Craft,” which told of their newly unveiled catamaran “Hobie Cat” style naval warship. Interestingly enough, it sure looks like several designs borrowed from the Australians and one which was featured in a James Bond movie back in the late 80s.

The blue camouflage was puzzling to me, because if they use it off their own coastline where there is 460 square miles of dead zone (void of oxygen) and pollution, then it is the wrong color with that bright dazzling display of art on the side and top. They should have painted it a murky gray color if they wanted to blend into all of their ocean pollution there, but I digress, because I am certain it will make the emperor (Communist Chinese Chairman) proud in a Naval parade of boats along the river?

Indeed, I recently read a GAO report which recommended that the US Navy, which has ordered several of these platforms with modular mission ready components, stop ordering anymore until they know what they are going to do with them. But if they tell the GAO, the GAO will publish that and the enemy (too harsh) military competitors will also know. Do you see that point? Please consider all this and think on it.

Cite: Breaking Defense News Online – article – “Navy Can’t Calculate Littoral Combat Ship’s Operating Costs, GAO Draft,” by Sydney J. Freeberg Jr. May 7, 2013.