Textron to Produce Nine More LCAC 100 Hovercrafts for US Navy
The Department of Defense has awarded Textron Systems a $394.2-million contract to build nine additional Landing Craft Air Cushion 100-class (LCAC 100) vessels for the US Navy.
The procurement builds on a primary order in August 2023 and a follow-up in July 2024 for materials and non-recurring activities to develop up to five LCAC 100s for the service.
Work for the nine-unit hovercraft fleet will be performed in New Orleans, Louisiana, and other locations throughout the country.
Textron is scheduled to complete the construction by September 2030.
The Ship-to-Shore Connector Program
The LCAC 100-class system, also called the Ship-to-Shore Connector, is a modern platform to replace the US military’s older hovercrafts in their assault landing and over-the-horizon transport missions.
It is commonly used to rotate supplies, carry heavy equipment, and haul ground vehicles between amphibious ships and beaches.
The boat can be armed with mounted naval guns, machine guns, and grenade launchers.
It is powered by four Rolls-Royce MT7 gas turbines, which are a modified version of the engines on the Bell V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.
An LCAC 100 has a top speed of 35 knots (65 kilometers/40 miles per hour).
Latest Accomplishments
Textron delivered the tenth LCAC 100 to the US Navy in September.
Two months earlier, the company signed a $39.3-million contract to supply training solutions for the fleet’s current and future crews.
In September 2020, Textron handed over the first two craft to the navy at its Surface Warfare Center – Panama City Division in Florida.
