Textron has announced it has been awarded a US$84 million contract option from the US Navy for two next-generation landing craft, air cushion (LCAC) vehicles and associated technical manuals as part of the ship-to-shore connector (SSC) program.
Textron will assemble crafts 102 and 103 at its New Orleans Shipyard. Deliveries are expected in the fourth quarter of 2019.
SSC craft will serve as the replacement for the Navy's existing fleet of LCACs, which are nearing the end of their service life. Their mission is to land surface assault elements in support of operational manoeuvre from the sea, at over-the-horizon distances, while operating from the Navy's amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. Like earlier LCACs, these craft also will be used for humanitarian and disaster relief missions.
The new air cushion vehicles are designed for a 30-year service life. They will use more corrosion-resistant aluminum in the hull than current LCAC, as well as composites in the propeller shroud assembly and shafting to increase craft availability and lower life-cycle maintenance costs. These craft also will incorporate an advanced skirt, a pilot/co-pilot arrangement, a cargo deck to accommodate a 74 short tonne payload (up to M1A1 Tank), and Rolls-Royce engines.
