The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) is a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) used by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from ship to shore and across the beach. It is to be replaced in US service by the Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC).
Design and development
Two prototypes were built; JEFF A by Aerojet General in California, JEFF B by Bell Aerospace, with sea trials starting in late 1977.
JEFF A had four rotating ducted propellers. JEFF B had two ducted rear propellers similar to the proposed SK-10 which was derived from the previous Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle operated in South Vietnam. JEFF B was selected for the LCAC in 1981.
The first 33 were included in the FY82-86 defense budgets, 15 in FY89, and 12 each in FY90, FY91, and FY92, while 7 were included in FY93. Compared to the prototypes, production LCACs replaced the six Avco Lycoming TF40s with four more powerful TF40Bs.
Operations and craft crew
The LCAC first deployed in 1987 aboard . LCACs are transported in and operate from all the U.S. Navy's amphibious ships that are equipped with well decks, including LHAs, LHDs, LSDs, and LPDs. Ships capable of carrying the LCAC include the (3 LCACs), (1), (4–5), (2), and (2) classes.
All of the planned 91 craft were delivered. Seventeen have since been disassembled or terminated for cost reasons, two are held for R&D, and thirty-six are in use on each coast at Little Creek, Virginia, and Camp Pendleton, California. Eight minesweeping kits were acquired in 1994–1995. A service-life extension program (SLEP) to extend service life from 20 to 30 years for the remaining 72 active LCACs began in 2000 and was scheduled to be completed by 2018.
The craft operates with a crew of five enlisted sailors in the following positions: craft master, navigator, craft engineer, deck engineer, and loadmaster. The craft master is in charge of piloting the craft, crew coordination, crew safety, and craft safety and can terminate a mission if weather or craft conditions preclude mission accomplishment. The craft engineer is responsible for powerplant monitoring, is cross-trained as a secondary craft master in case the craft master becomes incapacitated, is the subject matter expert on craft mechanical and electrical systems, and oversees maintenance during missions. The navigator is in charge of plotting safe lanes of travel, making in-flight course changes, ensuring on-time beach landings, logging the weight of transported equipment, and communicating with other craft and ground forces. The deck engineer is in charge of completing repairs during missions, cross-trains as a craft engineer in case the craft engineer becomes incapacitated, leads on-deck firefighting, and aids the loadmaster in loading and off-loading cargo and troops. The loadmaster is in charge of all deck evolutions; movement of equipment, cargo, and troops during on loading and off-loading; proper loading of cargo on deck to maintain proper weight and balance and leveling; anchoring, mooring, and rigging for tow operations; ensuring the proper use of cargo restraints; maintenance of craft armament; and distribution of weapons and ammunition. The loadmaster also acts as the port lookout while in flight.
In addition to beach landings, LCAC provides personnel transport, evacuation support, lane breaching, mine countermeasure operations, casualty transport, and Marine and Special Warfare equipment delivery.
The LCAC's cargo capacity is , slightly less if cold weather kit is installed for winter and Arctic operations. The LCAC is capable of carrying a 60 short-ton payload (up to 75 tons in an overload condition), 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.
Phase I. Replacing electronics components with readily available commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components. The new electronics suite will be more reliable and less costly to operate and maintain.
Phase II. Buoyancy box replacement at the Textron Marine and Land Systems facility in New Orleans, LA, 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 (COTS) 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 (ETF-40B configuration) that will provide additional power and lift particularly in hot (, and higher) 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 (deep) skirt that will reduce drag, increase performance envelope over water and land, and reduce maintenance requirements.