Type 724 LCAC

Last updated
Class overview
OperatorsNaval ensign of China.svg  People's Liberation Army Navy
In commission1994
General characteristics
Type LCAC
Displacement6.5 ton
Length12.4 meter
Beam4.7 meter
Propulsion380 kW total
Speed40 kt
Range100 nm
Complement10 troops + crew

The Type 724 Landing Craft Air-Cushion (LCAC) is the first indigenous air cushion landing craft in operational use with People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and its origin dates back to the early 1960s, when 7th Academy was assigned to lead the developmental work on air cushioned vehicles for a 10-year plan lasting from 1963 to 1972. Two projects developed from this research work, and Type 724 LCAC is the direct descendant of these two research projects.

Contents

Songling LCAC

One of the two direct predecessors of Type 724 LCAC is the Songling (松陵) LCAC built by Songling (松陵) Machinery Factory in Shenyang. From 1963 to 1967, a total of 3 units were built, Songling # 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Named after the factory where they were built, these LCAC are powered by aircraft piston engines with propellers. Although in Chinese military service, they mainly served as trial units to test out the feasibility of deploying air cushioned vehicles, instead of being used operationally as part of the amphibious forces.

Type 711 LCAC

At the same time Songling LCAC were built, 708th Research Institute in Shanghai also developed another LCAC in parallel. Type 711 is also consisted of three units, numbered 711-1, 711-2 and 711-3 respectively. Type 711 utilizes centralized control which only required a single operator, and it also utilizes variable-pitch propeller. As with Songling LCAC, Type 711 LCAC also mainly served as experimental boats in Chinese navy.

Type 724 LCAC

The relative success of Songling LCAC and Type 711 LCAC encouraged further development and it was decided to utilize the experience gained on both types to develop a new LCAC designated Type 724. However, due to political turmoil in China, namely, Cultural Revolution, program was delayed more than a decade. The requirement of Type 724 was once again proposed after the end of Cultural Revolution, but in the era of Chinese economic reform, military projects were put on backseats, and the program was once again delayed for another decade. However, the delay also meant that more advanced technologies appeared in those two decades can be adopted to perfect the original designs of Type 711 LCAC and Songling LCAC to produce better result for the proposed Type 724 LCAC. Type 724 LCAC finally entered service in the mid-1990s and more than two dozen were built.

Designed by the Shanghai-based 708 Institute to ferry marine troops from amphibious warfare ships to shore, [1] the Type 724 LCAC is powered by two BF12L913C diesels rated at 380 hp, which provide power to drive the air-cushion blowers and the air propellers located within ring shrouds at the back of the ship giving the craft at a top speed of 40 knots. [1] The Type 724 is unarmed [1] and has a square-shaped hull with three compartments: the soldier compartment in the front, the driving compartment in the middle, and the power compartment in the rear.

About 20 to 30 examples of the Type 724 have been deployed by the PLAN since 1994. [2] The Type 724 LCAC is carried in the docking bay of the Type 072 series landing ships. The Type 724 LCAC can carry up to 10 soldiers to the beach. The air cushion landing craft allows the PLAN greater flexibility in amphibious operations via access to soft sandy beaches, swampland, and loose surfaces where conventional landing craft would have difficulty reaching. The air cushion landing craft also offers greater speed and flexibility over traditional landing craft. [1]

Related Research Articles

<i>Wasp</i>-class amphibious assault ship Class of American amphibious assault ships

The Wasp-class is a class of landing helicopter dock (LHD) amphibious assault ships operated by the United States Navy. Based on the Tarawa class, with modifications to operate more advanced aircraft and landing craft, the Wasp-class is capable of transporting almost the full strength of a United States Marine Corps Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), and landing them in hostile territory via landing craft or helicopters as well as providing air support via AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft or F-35B Lightning II stealth strike-fighters. All Wasp-class ships were built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, at Pascagoula, Mississippi, with the lead ship, USS Wasp, commissioned on 29 July 1989. Eight Wasp-class ships were built, and as of April 2021, seven are in active service, as USS Bonhomme Richard was seriously damaged by fire on 12 July 2020, and subsequently decommissioned in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing craft</span> Seagoing watercraft

Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Production of landing craft peaked during World War II, with a significant number of different designs produced in large quantities by the United Kingdom and United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing Craft Air Cushion</span> Hovercraft employed as a landing craft

The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) is a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) used by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from ship to shore and across the beach. It is to be replaced in US service by the Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landing helicopter assault</span> Amphibious assault ship that can carry helicopters

Landing helicopter assault (LHA) is the United States Navy's hull classification symbol for the general-purpose helicopter-carrying amphibious assault ships of the Tarawa and America classes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surface effect ship</span> Watercraft with air cushion and twin hulls

A surface effect ship (SES) or sidewall hovercraft is a watercraft that has both an air cushion, like a hovercraft, and twin hulls, like a catamaran. When the air cushion is in use, a small portion of the twin hulls remains in the water. When the air cushion is turned off ("off-cushion" or "hull borne"), the full weight of the vessel is supported by the buoyancy of the twin hulls.

<i>Dokdo</i>-class amphibious assault ship Class of South Korean LPH assault ships

The Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship is a class of landing platform helicopter (LPH) and amphibious assault ships operated by the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). It was designed and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries (HHIC) to enhance South Korea's amphibious operation capability in terms of assault and military operations other than war (MOOTW).

Zubr-class LCAC Class of air-cushioned landing craft of Soviet design

The Zubr class, Soviet designation Project 1232.2, is a class of Soviet-designed air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC). The name "Zubr" is Russian for the European bison. This class of military hovercraft is, as of 2023 the world's largest hovercraft, with a standard full load displacement of 555 tons. The hovercraft was designed to sealift amphibious assault units from equipped/non-equipped vessels to non-equipped shores, as well as to transport and plant naval mines.

Type 071 amphibious transport dock Class of ship in service with the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army Navy

The Type 071 is a class of Chinese amphibious transport dock ships in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The Type 071 provides the PLAN with capabilities and flexibility not found in its previous landing ships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air-cushioned landing craft</span> Military hovercraft designed for landing troops and equipment in amphibious operations

An air-cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC, is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat. The majority of these craft are small- to mid-sized multi-purpose hovercraft, also known as "over the beach" ("OTB") craft. This allows troops and material to access more than 70 percent of the world's coastline, while only approximately 15 percent of that coastline is available to conventional boat-type landing craft. Typical barriers to conventional landing craft are soft sandy beaches, marshes, swampland, and loose surfaces. Air cushion technology has vastly increased the landing capability of the craft, providing greater speed and flexibility over traditional landing craft.

Lebed-class LCAC

The Kalmar class are a class of medium-sized assault hovercraft designed for the Soviet Navy. The few remaining craft are operated by the Russian Navy.

Tsaplya-class LCAC Ship class

The Tsaplya class LCAC is a medium size assault hovercraft operated by the Russian Navy.

Jinsha II-class LCAC Medium sized LCAC

The Type 722 II class LCAC with NATO reporting name Jinsha II class LCAC is a medium size air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy of China. It is frequently but erroneously referred by many as Dagu class, its predecessor, due to misspelling and lack of information in the 1970s, when these projects first appeared. There are also other names for this class, mostly resulting from different transliterations.

<i>Solgae 631</i>-class LCAC Air-cushioned landing craft

The Solgae 631-class LCAC, often called Solgae class after the name of lead ship, is an air-cushioned landing craft (LCAC) designed for the Republic of Korea Navy. Built by Hanjin Heavy Industries, they're designed to operate from the ROKS Dokdo and the future Dokdo-class amphibious assault ships. This project was known as the LSF-II or Landing Ship Fast - II during development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LCAC(L)</span> Amphibious hovercraft

The Landing Craft Air Cushion (Light), or LCAC(L), is a small amphibious hovercraft able to transverse both land and water. Like all amphibious landing craft in the Royal Navy, they were operated by the Royal Marines to transport troops or equipment from ship to shore during an amphibious landing.

Italian landing helicopter dock <i>Trieste</i> Future multipurpose Italian Navy ship

Trieste is a multi-role amphibious unit of the Italian Navy, officially classified as a landing helicopter dock, it will be the largest vessel in the Italian fleet. It was ordered as part of the 2014–2015 naval program and was built at the Castellammare di Stabia shipyards of Fincantieri.

Type 726 LCAC

The Type 726 LCAC is a class of air-cushioned landing craft used by the People's Liberation Army Navy. Six Yuyi-class LCACs are believed to be in service with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with the first one (3320) being seen at the end of 2007. It is thought that the vessels were delivered in two batches, with the first three LCACs reportedly powered by Ukrainian UGT 6000 engines, while the other subsequent production models are believed to use indigenous QC-70 gas turbines. Up to four Yuyi-class LCACs can be carried in the well deck of the Yuzhao-class landing platform dock (LPD) and Yushen-class landing helicopter dock (LHD).

Chinese landing ship <i>Changbai Shan</i> Type 071 amphibious transport dock

Changbai Shan (989) is a Type 071 amphibious transport dock of the People's Liberation Army Navy.

Chinese landing ship <i>Yimeng Shan</i> Type 071 amphibious transport dock

Yimeng Shan (988) is a Type 071 amphibious transport dock of the People's Liberation Army Navy.

Chinese landing helicopter dock <i>Hainan</i> Type 075 landing helicopter dock of the PLA Navy

Hainan (31) is the lead ship of the Type 075 landing helicopter dock of the People's Liberation Army Navy. She was commissioned on 23 April 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Type 724 Air Cushion Landing Craft." SinoDefence.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2010. <http://www.sinodefence.com/navy/amphibious/type724.asp>.
  2. ↑ "People's Liberation Army Navy." GlobalSecurity.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 July 2010. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/navy.htm>.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.