US Navy takes delivery of 19th LCAC-100-class landing craft

The US Navy accepted LCAC 118, the 19th Ship-to-Shore Connector or LCAC-100-class air-cushion landing craft built by Textron Systems. Measuring about 28 metres long, the four-person hovercraft can transport up to 67 tons of vehicles and equipment across open water and onto beaches without permanent port facilities. Its layout is compatible with the well decks of amphibious ships and expeditionary transfer docks, with a separate transport module accommodating as many as 145 equipped troops or 108 casualties. The delivery adds another modern connector to the Navy's replacement programme for legacy LCACs, but does not describe an operational amphibious landing.