SLICE™ is a new, patented ship technology that enables SWATH (small waterplane area twin hull) ships to operate at higher speeds while retaining their characteristic low motions in a seaway. SLICE™ technology's key innovation is reduction of wavemaking drag, which is accomplished by the introduction of four short struts, four teardrop-shaped submerged hulls, and speeds well beyond the 'hump' on the Froude resistance curve. Combining increased speed with stability in high seas, SLICE™ opens up new commercial and military markets to SWATH technology.

Throughout history, ship designers have sought a hullform for ocean-going vessels that combines excellent seakeeping in high sea states with high speed. For centuries, the prevailing design was the monohull.

In the early 1900s, with the successful integration of onboard power, high speed became achievable, and demand for ever-faster ships increased. As available installed power reached its limit, however, designers began investigating a new way to increase speed: reducing hull resistance. Several advanced hull forms resulted from these efforts. Displacement hull variants like catamarans, which utilize buoyancy, and hull forms incorporating dynamic lift such as planing hulls, hydrofoils, and surface effect ships, were designed and tested. Each of these innovations confirmed that design improvements could produce higher speeds.

Throughout this quest for speed, stability in high seas remained a critical issue. A high-speed vessel is useless in unprotected water unless it can survive the ocean's unforgiving environment. As a naval officer once observed, "Sea State is a war stopper." Thus, for generations, a vessel that combines high speeds and excellent stability has been the Holy Grail of ship designers. Four decades ago, Lockheed Martin joined this quest for the optimum hull.

The first technology that Lockheed Martin explored was that of the hydrofoil, building Plainview, the Navy's largest and fastest hydrofoil. This work, conducted in the 1960s, led to Lockheed Martin's surface-effect efforts in the 1970s. As technologies evolved, so did the ships. The next step was the stealthy ship Sea Shadow. Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy developed this vessel using SWATH technology--achieving low motions in high sea states and leaving a water 'trail' much less discernible than that of conventional ships.

Experience gained from these programs led to the development and patent of the revolutionary SLICE™ technology.