Heavy Lift Army Landing Craft

摘要

Landing craft are used to quickly transport cargo to areas where larger ships are unable to reach due to beach gradient limitations or lack of an adequate port. The current landing craft of the U.S. Army are limited by poor seakeeping capabilities and they operate at very low speeds, unloaded and fully loaded. The goal of the Heavy Lift Army Landing Craft (HLALC) project is to develop a concept design to replace existing Army landing craft such as the Landing Craft Utility (LCU) 2000. The HLALC will operate at a sustained speed of 25 kts while carrying a full load of 300 mt. The project proposes a Surface Effect Ship (SES) landing craft for its speed and seakeeping while maintaining a low draft and large deck area for payload. The HLALC is a rugged craft utilizing proven robust technologies with overall low maintenance.