US Navy takes delivery of 15th LCAC 100-class landing craft

The US Navy recently took delivery of a new landing craft air cushion (LCAC) built by New Orleans-based Textron Systems Corporation.

LCAC 114 is the 15th vessel in the LCAC 100-class. Like its sisters, it has an LOA of 92 feet (28 metres), a beam of 48 feet (15 metres), a height of 26 feet (7.9 metres), and four crewmembers consisting of a pilot, a co-pilot, a loadmaster and a deck engineer.

The craft's open deck has a total area of 1,608 square feet (149 square metres) and can accommodate a maximum of 67 tons of assorted loads consisting of vehicles and heavy equipment.

Separate from the cargo deck is an enclosed personnel transport module that can house 145 combat-equipped troops or 108 casualty victims.

The LCAC 100-class vessels are built with similar configurations, dimensions, and clearances to the navy's legacy LCACs to ensure their compatibility with existing well deck-equipped amphibious ships as well as the expeditionary transfer docks of the Military Sealift Command.

Like their predecessors, these LCAC 100-class vessels were designed specifically for the transport of the ground combat elements of the US Marine Corps between the navy's larger, deep-draught amphibious ships and unprepared beaches. Secondary missions will include humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

Delivery of LCAC 114 follows completion of acceptance trials and represents the official transfer of the craft from the shipbuilder to the US Navy.

During acceptance trials, the navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey tested the readiness and capability of the craft to effectively meet requirements.