The Landing Craft Air Cushion is a class of air-cushion vehicle used as landing
craft by the United States Navy's Assault Craft Units and the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force. They transport weapons systems, equipment,
cargo and personnel of the assault elements of the Marine Air/Ground Task
Force both from ship to shore and across the beach.
Design and development Concept design of the present day LCAC
began in the early 1970s with the full-scale Amphibious Assault Landing
Craft test vehicle. During the advanced development stage, two prototypes were
built. JEFF A was designed and built by Aerojet General in California, with four
rotating ducted propellers. JEFF B was designed and built by Bell Aerospace in
New Orleans, Louisiana. JEFF B had two ducted rear propellers similar to the
proposed SK-10 which was derived from the previous Bell SK-5 / SR.N5
hovercraft tested in Vietnam. These two craft confirmed the technical
feasibility and operational capability that ultimately led to the production of
LCAC. JEFF B was selected as the design basis for today’s LCAC.
The first 33 were included in the FY82-86 defense budgets, 15 in FY89, 12
each in FY90, FY91 and FY92, while seven were included in FY93. The first LCAC
was delivered to the Navy in 1984 and Initial Operational Capability was
achieved in 1986. Approval for full production was granted in 1987. After an
initial 15-craft competitive production contract was awarded to each of two
companies, Textron Marine & Land Systems of New Orleans, La, and Avondale
Gulfport Marine, TMLS was selected to build the remaining craft. A total of
ninety-one LCAC have now been built. The final craft, LCAC 91, was delivered to
the U.S. Navy in 2001. On June 29, 1987, LCAC was granted
approval for full production. Forty-eight air-cushion landing craft
were authorized and appropriated through FY 89. Lockheed Shipbuilding Company was
competitively selected as a second source. The FY 1990 budget request
included $219.3 million for nine craft. The FY 1991 request included full
funding for 12 LCACs and advance procurement in support of the FY 1992
program. The remaining 24 were funded in FY92.
The LCAC first deployed in 1987 aboard USS Germantown. LCACs are transported in
and operate from all the U.S. Navy's amphibious-well deck ships including
LHA, LHD, LSD and LPD. Ships capable of carrying the LCAC include the Wasp,
Tarawa, Anchorage, Austin, Whidbey Island, Harper's Ferry, and San Antonio
classes. All of the planned 91 craft have been delivered to the Navy. Of
these 91 LCACs, seven of these have been disassembled for FGE, ten are in deep
Reduced Operation Status, two are held for R&D, and 36 are in use on each coast
at Little Creek, Virginia and Camp Pendleton, California. Eight
minesweeping kits were acquired in 1994-1995.
The craft operates with a crew of five. In addition to beach landing, LCAC
provides personnel transport, evacuation support, lane breaching, mine
countermeasure operations, and Marine and Special Warfare equipment delivery.
The four main engines are all used for lift and all used for main propulsion.
The craft can continue to operate, at reduced capability, with two engines
inoperable. They are interchangeable for redundancy. A transport model can seat
180 fully equipped troops. Cargo capacity is 1,809 sq ft. The LCAC is
capable of carrying a 60-ton payload, including one M-1 Abrams tank, at speeds
over 40 knots. Fuel capacity is 5000 gallons. The LCAC uses an average of
1000 gallons per hour. Maneuvering considerations include requiring 500
yards or more to stop and 2000 yards or more turning radius. The bow ramp is
28.8 ft wide while the stern ramp is 15 ft wide. Noise and dust levels are high
with this craft. If disabled the craft is difficult to tow. In recent years
spray suppression has been added to the craft's skirt to reduce interference
with driver's vision. The LCAC is a dramatic innovation in
modern amphibious warfare technology. It provides the capability to launch
amphibious assaults from points over the horizon from up to 50 nautical miles
offshore, thereby decreasing risk to ships and personnel and generating
greater uncertainty in the enemy's mind as to the location and timing of an
assault, thereby maximizing its prospects of success. The LCAC
propulsion system makes it less susceptible to mines than other assault
craft or vehicles. Due to its tremendous over-the-beach capability, the LCAC can
access more than 80% of the world's coastlines. Previously, landing craft
had a top speed of approximately eight knots and could cross only 17% of the
world's beach area. Assaults were made from one to two miles off-shore.Its high
speed complements a joint assault with helicopters, so personnel and equipment
can be unloaded beyond the beach in secure landing areas. For 20 years,
helicopters have provided the partial capability to launch OTH amphibious
assaults. Now, with LCAC, landing craft complement helos in speed, tactical
surprise and without exposing ships to enemy fire.
The similarities between a Navy LCAC and an airplane are substantial. The
craftmaster sits in a "cockpit" or command module with a headset radio on.
He talks to air traffic control which for LCAC's is well-deck control located
near a ship's sterngate. The ride feels like a plane in high turbulence. The
craftmaster steers with a yoke, his feet are on rudder controls—and he flies a
lot like a hockey puck on an air hockey table, The LCAC is similar to a
helicopter in that it has six dimensions of motion. Operating the LCAC demands
unique perceptual and psychomotor skills. In addition, with a machine as
expensive and inherently dangerous as the LCAC, sound judgment and
decision-making also play an important role. Concerns over escalating training
cost, projections for an increased number of LCAC vehicles and crew, and a
high attrition rate in training highlighted the importance of developing
a more accurate means of selecting candidates. Attrition of operators and
engineers has dropped from an initial high of 40% in 1988 to approximately
10-15% today. In Fiscal Year 2000 the Navy started an
LCAC Service Life Extension Program to add 10 years of design life to each
craft. The SLEP will be applied to 72 LCACs, extending their service life from
20 to 30 years, delaying the need to replace these versatile craft.
Without a SLEP the first LCAC would face retirement in 2004, based on a 20-year
lifespan. Naval Sea Systems Command has been working with Textron Marine and
Land Systems since April 1996 on LCAC SLEP research and development. The
actual SLEP modifications are planned to be conducted in two phases.
Phase I. Over a period of several years electronics system recapitalization will
take place at each Assault Craft Unit, where the craft are physically located.
This will involve replacing current electronics components, which are
increasingly becoming obsolete and unsupportable, with an open electronics
architecture using easily upgraded, Commercial Off-The-Shelf components. The
new electronics suite will be more reliable and less costly to operate and
maintain. Phase II. Buoyancy box replacement will
be conducted at the Textron Marine and Land Systems facility in New Orleans,
LA, where Textron will use design changes, coatings, and changes in
materials to increase the LCACs resistance to corrosion. Phase II will
also include the electronics upgrade of Phase I, until the entire active fleet
is outfitted with the new configuration. The new buoyancy box will incorporate
improvements to damage stability and trim control of the LCACs.
NAVSEA transitioned from the research and development effort to the SLEP in
1999. Concurrently NAVSEA also considered additional SLEP options,
including an enhanced engine to provide improved operation in excessively hot
environments and an advanced skirt that is more reliable and cost effective.
The Navy continued the LCAC Service Life Extension Program in Fiscal Year 2001.
This program combines major structural improvements with Command, Control,
Communications, Computer and Navigation upgrades and adds 10 years to the
service life, extending it to 30 years. In FY 2001, it was funded at $19.9
million and extended the service life of 1 craft. The SLEP is planned for a total
of 72 craft. The near-term focus will be on the "C4N"
[Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Navigation] program, to
replace the crafts' obsolete equipment. This will focus on replacement of LN-66
radars with modern, high-power P-80 radar systems. Additionally, the SLEP
will include an open-architecture concept, relying on modern
commercial-off-the-shelf equipment, which will allow much easier
incorporation of later technology changes, such as the precision
navigation system and communications systems ¾ fully interoperable with
in-service and near-term future Joint systems ¾ now planned. The C4N program
is to complete by 2010. Through 2016, the Navy will look to
incorporate other important service-life enhancements: Engine upgrades that will
provide additional power and lift particular in hot environments, reduced
fuel consumption, reduced maintenance needs, and reduced lift footprint;
Replacement of the buoyancy box to solve corrosion problems, incorporate hull
improvements, and "reset" the fatigue-limit "clock"; Incorporation of
a new skirt that will reduce drag, increase performance envelope over water
and land, and reduce maintenance requirements.
As of September 2012, there are 80 LCACs in the U.S. Navy inventory, and 39 of
these LCACs have undergone the SLEP conversion, 7 more SLEP conversions are
in progress and 4 are awaiting induction. The FY 2013 budget authorizes
4 SLEP conversions per year through to FY 2018. The last of the 72 SLEP
conversions will be delivered to the Navy in Fiscal Year 2020. A number of
LCACs are currently under development and testing at the Naval Support
Activity Panama City in Panama City, Florida. As the first SLEP LCAC reaches
its 30 years of design service in 2015, they will gradually be retired. In 2019,
at which point the inventory of LCACs will have fallen to 50, the USN begin
receiving the new Ship-to-Shore Connector, the LCAC-100.
The USN inventory of LCACs will continue to fall, as the SLEP LCACs are retired,
until 2023 when the inventory will reach a low of 40 SLEP LCACs and SSC
LCAC-100s. The inventory will remain at 40 until 2026 when the production of SSC
LCAC-100s will begin to outnumber the retirement of SLEP LCACs. Current
projections foresee the inventory rising to 60 SSC LCAC-100s in 2031 and 72 SSC
LCAC-100s on 2034. = Ship-to-Shore Connector=
The SSC LCAC-100 will have an increased payload of 73 short tons. It will have
Pilot/Co-Pilot Dual Controls with a smaller crew and a new Command, Control,
Communications, Computers & Navigation suite. It will also have engines
offering 20% more power with new Full Authority Digital Engine Control, a
simpler and more efficient drive train with one gearbox per side, and a new
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system. It will be
constructed out of aluminum 5083 with better corrosion resistance and an
immersion grade wet deck coating system, and its gear shaft and fan blades will
be constructed with extensive composites. It will be able to operate
with a 74 short ton load at a sustained speed of 35 knots in NATO Sea State 3-4.
Japanese operations Six LCAC are in use by the Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force. Approval for the sale was given by the United
States Government on 8 April 1994. The craft were built by Textron Marine &
Land Systems in New Orleans, Louisiana. Purchase of the first craft was included
in the FY93 budget, second in FY95, third in FY99 and fifth and sixth in
FY00. Operators
Japan Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
United States United States Navy
Assault Craft Unit 4 Assault Craft Unit 5
Specifications Builder: Textron Marine and Land
Systems/Avondale Gulfport Marine Date Deployed: 1982
Propulsion: Legacy: 4 Lycoming/AlliedSignal TF-40B
gas turbines; 16,000 hp sustained; 2-shrouded reversible pitch airscrews;
4-double-entry fans, centrifugal or mixed flow
Service Life Extension Program: 4 Vericor Power Systems ETF-40B gas
turbines with Full Authority Digital Engine Control
Length: 87 feet 11 inches Beam: 47 feet
Displacement: 87.2 tons light; 170–182 tons full load
Speed: 40+ knots with full load, 70+ knots maximum speed
Range: 200 nmi at 40 kt with payload 300 nmi at 35 kt with payload
Crew: Five Load: 60 tons/75 ton overload
Military lift: 24 troops or 1 MBT Armament: two 12.7 mm machine guns. Gun
mounts can support the M2HB .50 cal machine gun, Mk 19 Mod 3 40 mm grenade
launcher, or the M60 machine gun. Tests conducted with GAU-13 30 mm gatling gun.
Radar: Navigation: Marconi LN-66; I-band Source: LCAC U.S. Navy Fact File
See also Air-cushioned landing craft
Engin de débarquement amphibie rapide Lebed class LCAC
Tsaplya-class LCAC - Three in service with ROKN
Zubr class LCAC References
General Saunders, Stephen. Jane's Fighting
Ships, 2003-2004. ISBN 0-7106-2546-4. External links
LCAC U.S. Navy Fact File Textron Marine & Land Systems LCAC page
LCAC specifications on GlobalSecurity.org
LCAC page on Fas.org