The new naval connector to the shore transports tanks, brings a new era of amphibious war
The new naval connector to the shore transports tanks, brings a new era of amphibious war
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Artist's impression of the first maritime warship with Ship-to-Shore connector of the US Navy. UU
(Textron Systems)The first maritime warship with a recently built Ship-to-Shore connector launched into the water earlier this year, paving the way for accelerated production and ushering in a new era in the modern amphibious war for the Marines.
Naval Sea Systems Command recently awarded an agreement to ship-to-shore connector manufacturer Textron to acquire long-term procurement materials for the new fleet of water vehicles. The new SSC amphibious mobile connectors can transport larger armored vehicles, such as an Abrams tank, from amphibious assault ships to land combat.
The new Navy craft provides an unprecedented capacity. The new SSCs are designed to replace the existing fleet of Aircraft Cushions for Landing Craft (LCAC) capable of moving marines, weapons and ship-to-shore supplies for amphibious operations. The connectors will integrate the emerging computer technology capable of reducing the size of the necessary equipment and perform more functions independently.
The updated amphibious ship from shore to ship includes lower weight composite materials, larger payload capacity, modernized engines and automated computer flight controls, Scott Allen, vice president of marine systems at Textron Systems, told Warrior Maven in an interview with early this year.
The new SSC Rolls Royce engines will have more horsepower and specialized aluminum to help prevent corrosion. The lighter weight allows for better lifting capacity, allowing the ship to carry up to 74 tons, enough to transport heavy armored vehicles from ship to land for an amphibious assault, Allen said.
The existing LCAC 72 of the Navy, in service since the 1980s, can only carry up to 60 tons, reach speeds of 36 knots and travel ranges of up to 200 nautical miles from amphibious vehicles, explained Navy officials.
Textron engineers also say that the SSC is built with digital flight controls and computer automation to replace the traditional yoke and pedals used by current connectors. As a result, on-board computers will quickly calculate relevant details, such as wind speed and navigation information, they explained.
The new SSCs have also moved to a lower frequency for the ship's electronics, going from 400 Hertz to 60 Hertz to better synchronize the ship's systems with the Navy's common standards, the Textron developers explained. Along with these properties, the new boat reduces the number of gearboxes from eight to two.
Since some of the members of the LCAC fleet are approaching 30 years of service, the Navy must start replacing them with new ones, according to Warrior Maven service officers.
The new Rolls Royce engine is the same one that is currently used in the MV-22 Osprey inclined rotor aircraft, Textron developers said. The new SSC also increases platform strength and improves propellers compared to existing LCACs.
LCACs can access more than 70 percent of the coast around the world, something that new SSCs will also be able to do, service officials said.
Designed with high speed and maneuverability on the horizon, LCACs can travel long distances and land on rocky terrain, including driving to the coast.
In order to bridge the gap between existing LCACs and new SSCs, the Navy implemented a special life extension program for LCACs, many of which now approaching three decades of service.
The LCACs were redesigned with new engines, given the new rotating machinery, the new command and control systems, the new skirts and the arrangements for corrosion problems. The effort is designed to return another 10 years of life to the LCAC, according to Navy officials.
The idea with the extension of the useful life is to save the lapse of time or the gap until the new SSC are ready to enter the force in large quantities, explained the high officials of the Navy.
Some of the improvements being designed in SSCs are designed to address the changing threat landscape in a modern environment, a scenario that is expected to change the way amphibious operations will be conducted in the future.
Since potential adversaries now have larger weapons, better sensors and attack technologies, and computers with higher processing speeds, amphibious forces approaching the coast may need to disperse to make it harder for enemies to attack them. This phenomenon, in which potential adversaries have advanced weaponry designed to hinder the operations of US forces in certain areas, such as those near the coast, is described by Pentagon analysts as "anti-access / area denial".
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