News and Media Center

New Waterjets Could Propel LCS to Greater Speeds

The Navy’s fifth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Milwaukee, will be the first to benefit from new high-power density waterjets aimed at staving off rudder and propeller damage experienced on high-speed ships. The new Axial-Flow Waterjet Mk-1 can move nearly half a million gallons of seawater per minute. Four of the new waterjets will propel the LCS to speeds greater than 40 knots.

ONR Program Uses Cell Phones to Fight Epidemics

An ONR-funded program to get ahead of epidemic outbreaks has led to the deployment of new healthcare monitoring and information collection technology. Limited technical infrastructure in developing countries often can slow humanitarian aid and hamper responses to disasters, so researchers are collecting data through a text message-based system set up to take advantage of widespread access to handheld devices in Colombia and Zambia.