with the SR.N5 hovercraft. These hovercraft
were deployed to Dong Tam in the Mekong
Delta and then up to Ben Luc. Unfortunately
one was destroyed in early 1970 and a
second in August, causing the unit to be
disbanded. The last remaining US Army
SR.N5 hovercraft can be found on display at
the Army Transport Museum in Virginia.
Development continued though and the
Bell SK-10 was put into production. This
model now forms the basis for the Landing
Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC) class that is
now in use with the US and Japanese
Navy, as well as the US Marine Corps. They
have been designed to carry a mixture of
vehicles, troops and supplies to shore from
Wasp class Assault Ships.
These huge hovercraft can achieve speeds
of up to 40 knots (46mph) and are armed
with just two machine gun emplacements,
although feature additional weapon
BIG BOYZ TOYZ
The monstrous Soviet Zubr Class (aka Pomornik Class), capable of carrying
three T-80 battle tanks, 140 fully-equipped troops or up to 130 tons of cargo
“The Zubr Class can carry three
T-80 Tanks, 140 troops or up to
130 tons of cargo. Four have been
sold to the Greek Navy, so keep
your cheque books close by – they
could be up for sale soon!”
mounting stations. According to the USMC,
the LCAC can cross 70 per cent of the
world’s coastline (as opposed to just 15 per
cent for normal landing craft). The first LCAC
was delivered to the Navy in 1984.
Manufactured by Textron Marine and
Land Systems of New Orleans, 91 LCACs
have been built, the last delivered in 2001.
A Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) is
currently on-going, making sure that these
craft will see service beyond 2015. However,
a number of new LCACs are currently under
development.
But it was the Soviet Union that became
the largest developer of military hovercraft.
They had a range of ACVs from the Czilm
class (similar to an SR.N6) all the way up to
the monstrous Zubr Class LCAC, which is
the largest hovercraft in the world.
The Zubr Class is 57.6 meters long and
has a maximum displacement of 535 tons.
It can carry three T-80 Main Battle Tanks,
140 fully-equipped troops or up to 130 tons
of cargo. Four of these have been sold to
the Greek Navy, so keep your cheque books
close by – they could be up for sale soon!
After the fall of the Soviet Union most
Soviet military hovercraft fell into a state of
disrepair or were sold off. The Russian Navy
only recently began building new classes of
military hovercraft.
Imagine that at somewhere like Battle
Lakes – mount a couple of M249s and hey
presto!
You would need insurance and some
form of transportation to and from site,
and it would do no harm to learn what your
hovercraft is capable of. The Hovercraft
Cruising Club UK promotes safe usage of
hovercraft and runs courses for just that,
as well as club meets and race days. There
is also the Hovercraft Club UK, formed in
1966, which runs events all around the UK.
You may not be able to trundle up the M1
on your hovercraft, but imagine the looks on
the faces of the other team as you pitch up
at the car park! ■
One hovercraft, slightly used
But on to that most important of questions:
can I buy one? Indeed you can! Griffon
Hoverwork has three ex-Royal Marine
hovercraft for sale. How much? You had
better contact them direct, but be warned
– an Excelsior class hovercraft (similar in
size to a Zubr) came up for sale in 2009. The
pricetag? A trifling US$69 million.
Alternatively, you could make your own
small fast attack hovercraft, adapting one of
the smaller racing or recreational hovercraft.
CONTACTS
Griffon Hoverwork: 02380 686666,
www.griffonhoverwork.com
Hovercraft Cruising Club UK:
www.hoverclub.org.uk
Hovercraft Club UK:
www.hovercraft.org.uk
www.airsoftactionmagazine.com
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