Ships for direct landing have been in service with NATO countries for over 30 years. And today the question of replacing them has arisen. The main requirements for future ships are an increase in carrying capacity, an increase in the landing compartment to the size of the ability to receive and transport Abrams tanks, an increase in speed, and the allocation of additional places for medical facilities.
I present to you one of the projects of the landing craft of the future, developed by the French company CNIM. The project of this ship was named L-CAT, and was first presented at the Euronaval 2008 exhibition.
As you can see, it is made according to the scheme - a catamaran. It is 30 m long and 12.8 m wide. Four hydraulic cylinders raise and lower the landing platform. The material for this ship is aluminum. The power plant of the ship consists of four diesel engines with a total capacity of 5 MW. That makes it possible to develop the catamaran a maximum speed of 30 knots, and at a maximum load of 20. L-CAT can deliver goods up to 130 tons, two Leclerc tanks, 4 or 6 light tanks or armored vehicles (GVA).
The L-CAT has a cruising range of 1000 nautical miles at 15 knots. The crew of the ship is only 4 people.
One of the advantages of this ship is its convenience in amphibious operations. It can load and unload troops and cargo both from the front and from the back, unlike older ships and competitors. Another advantage of the ship is its aluminum hull. This solves the problem of corrosion and weight.
On the basis of this ship, a whole family of ships has been developed that can perform a wide variety of functions. In addition, they still differ from each other and their purpose.
