Background information, characteristics, operational experience, and future plans for U. S. Navy hydrofoil craft are summarized. Included are the 120-ton hydrofoil patrol craft HIGHPOINT (PCH-1); the 320-ton experimental hydrofoil ship PLAIN VIEW (AGEH-1), largest in the world; the high-speed foil test platform FRESH I; and the hydrofoil gunboats FLAGSTAFF (PGH-1) and TUCUMCARI (PGH-2). The two gunboats, destined for early fleet deployment, represent the first product of this development program, whose objective is to provide the Navy with a significantly improved capability to achieve high, sustained speed in rough water.