Well, they are heavy  and they are equipment and to us here at HEO, they are very interesting, so we're featuring these amazing warships today. Right now, there are two of these incredible warship models that can travel at speeds in excess of 45 knots (52 miles an hour) for as long as 4 hours at a strech, while bucking 30-knot headwinds in 6- to 8-foot seas. The Independence (pictured) is a 418 ft warship, built in Alabama and tested off the Gulf coast.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, a competing defense contractor has just completed the 318 ft. Freedom that can do about the same. The U.S. Navy has ordered each of these contractors to build one more ship before they settle on the final design from which they plan to  build a fleet of 55, to be built by either Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics.

We regular people call the smaller versions that we enjoy driving around in, jetboats.  When the U.S. Navy uses steerable water jets rather than propellers and rudders, that allow these warships to zip into shallow waters right up close to the shore, they call them Littoral Combat Ships. Up until now, the big U.S. Navy ships trundled along at about 30 to 35 knots, so this is a huge improvement for meeting current needs. These new ships even come with several different modules that can be changed within 24 to 96 hours. The ships are built to carry helicopters and then the different modules allow for different missions ranging from anti-submarine through mine removal and/or surface warfare. The U.S. Navy currently plans to order 55 of these new Littoral Combat Ships. They are expensive but well worth it for the flexibility that they will provide in today's environment.

 PIRATES! BEWARE!