Defense Technology International - October 2007 - (Page 38) OPERATIONS AMPHIBIOUS In France, CNIM is proposing a design known as L-Cat, with multiple operating modes. the same dimensions as the LCU Mk 10. The U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) is working toward a future generation of advanced landing craft. A first demonstrator, known as the E (expeditionary)-Craft, is under construction at Alaska Ship and Drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska. The E-Craft is a smaller version of a future beachable, high-speed vessel that has been developed to demonstrate advanced transport technology, evaluate operations in a harsh environment, test military applications and assess life-cycle costs. The $35-million craft will provide engineering data for three years, then be used as a commercial ferry in Anchorage. The E-Craft design is based on Lockheed Martin’s Varicraft concept. Using hydraulics, the vessel’s configuration changes from a barge (landing mode) to what’s called a small waterplane-area twin-hull mode, or Swath, and then to a high-speed (over 20 kt.) catamaran mode. The E-Craft demonstrator is expected to be ready next spring. A second effort at ONR is the T (transformable)-Craft program, for which four industry consortia have been awarded preliminary design contracts. Lead companies are Alion, Navatek, Textron and Umoe Mandal (USA). The ONR programs could eventually lead to a successor to Textron’s ubiquitous LCAC (landing craft air cushion), which CNIM CONCEPT too slow. “Only the LCVP Mk V is capable of doing 25 kt. and carrying 25 troops as well. The rest of our inventory is slower than 10 kt.” The U.K. is looking at a new LCU (landing craft utility) capable of landing six BAE Systems Hagglunds BvS 10 Viking armored all-terrain vehicles, or one Challenger 2 main battle tank (72 tons) at 25 kt., he said. Other navies are investing in either beefed-up derivatives of conventional LCVP (landing craft vehicles/personnel), LCU and LCM (landing craft mechanized) models or innovative designs that involve catamarans and other hull forms. In France, CNIM is proposing a design known as the L-Cat. In cruise mode, the vessel operates as a catamaran, but in landing mode the deck platform is lowered to a more conventional configuration. The advantage is that significant distances (1,500 naut. mi. at 15 kt.) can be covered when loaded, and when empty it can reach 30 kt. The Netherlands has modified its five LCUs to unload cargo further onto the beach, and to give the crew more comfort during transit between ship and shore —transits that last longer and cover greater distances than anticipated when the craft were designed in the 1990s. Big amphibious ships tend to stay out of sight beyond the horizon (and below radar), rather than o oad cargo in sight of a potentially hostile coast. The Netherlands is 38 also replacing 12 obsolete LCVPs with the LCVP Mk V C, an improved version of the Mk V B used by the British. Den Helder-based Visser Shipyard, through prime contractor Damen Shipyards, is building a first prototype that will be tested at sea, probably in conjunction with the U.K.’s amphibious forces. Lessons learned will be incorporated into the Mk V C design, and series production will start with the last of the 12 LCVPs to be delivered by 2011. E orts in the U.K. are focused on a design known as Pacscat (partial-air-cushion-supported catamaran). Qinetiq is under contract to build a demonstrator vessel with a speed of 25 kt. (comparable to the LCVP Mk V) and payload capacity of 25 troops. In order to be compatible with the existing fleet of amphibious ships, Pacscat landing craft will have Heavy equipment and supplies to back up and sustain an entry force will need to be transported from ships to the coast, especially if access to harbor facilities is lacking. AUSTRALIAN DEFENSE DEPT. DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2007 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://www.aviationweek.com/dti
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