In the United States, they seriously thought about creating a new amphibious assault vehicle. The new development in the American press is already called the Higgins boat of the XXI century. The famous landing craft LCVP and its closest relatives, created after the Second World War, no longer fully suit the American military. The project of the new landing craft was designated SHARC (Small High-Speed Amphibious Role-Variant Craft). Unlike all of its predecessors, the new landing craft should be able to be remotely controlled and fully autonomous.
Landing craft LCVP type
The LCVP-class landing craft, aka Higgins' boat, is the most famous landing craft in history. And it's not even about the fact that the boat was built in a huge series. These boats were actively used by the Americans during large amphibious operations of the Second World War. They are familiar to many from photographs and newsreels from the beaches of Normandy or Iwo Jima. Subsequently, boats have repeatedly appeared on screens in feature films and often appeared in computer games. One of the most famous examples from the cinema is Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.
LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel - landing craft for personnel and equipment) was the most massive type of landing craft used by the American military to transport marines and various weapons and cargo from amphibious ships to the coast. The boat could be used for landing troops on an unequipped coast. LCVPs were widely used in World War II amphibious operations, including landings for conventional infantry units. The boats were produced in a huge series. For the US Navy alone, 22,492 units were produced in 15 years. At the same time, during the war years, another 2,366 such boats were built and transferred to the Allies as part of the Lend-Lease program.
The landing boat was created by the designer and engineer Andrew Higgins, so it also went down in history under the designation Higgins boat, or Higgins boat. Initially, the designer counted on exclusively civilian use of his products. The project was commercial and designed for operation in shallow water and swampy areas. It was planned to use the boat in Louisiana, including for the exploration of oil fields, but the war made its own adjustments, and Higgins quickly remade the project for the needs of the army and navy.
A distinctive feature of all LCVP boats was a bow ramp, which simplified the process of landing troops on any coast. The same technical solution greatly simplified the process of loading equipment and cargo on board the boat. In one voyage, Higgins' boat could deliver up to 36 soldiers (full platoon) or up to 3, 7 tons of various cargoes ashore, or a small army off-road vehicle. The crew of the boat could consist of three people, including two shooters, who could support the landing with fire from large-caliber 12, 7-mm machine guns M2. Maximum speed - 9 knots (up to 17 km / h).
After the end of World War II, the operation of LCVP boats continued. At the same time, a whole family of structurally similar landing craft was created in the United States, but of increased size. For example, during the war years, the construction of the LCM-6 landing craft began, which surpassed the LCVP in all respects. These ships could deliver ashore up to 60 paratroopers or up to 34.5 tons of various cargo, including one medium tank "Sherman".
After the war, the LCM-8 variant appeared, featuring a large displacement and an even more increased carrying capacity. The speed of such boats without cargo increased to 12 knots, and the carrying capacity - up to 60 tons. Such a boat could easily transport up to 200 soldiers ashore, or new tanks: the M48 medium tank or the M60 main battle tank.
At the same time, by the beginning of the 21st century, these vessels had become outdated. They represent a fairly easy target for any modern weapon, not just missile weapons. The disadvantages of such amphibious means include their low speed, as well as the need for a crew, which consisted of 5 and 4 people on boats LCM-6 and LCM-8, respectively. At the same time, the boats are not the smallest in size, especially the LCM-8, which could be used to transfer to the tank landing zone. For both LCVP and LCM-8, the United States is actively preparing a replacement.
How Americans see the new landing craft
The US Navy and Marine Corps are ready to return relatively small landing craft to the arena, but at a new level of technical development. In the 21st century, amphibious operations have become even more risky than during the Second World War. Developed countries have acquired numerous precision weapons. For example, Russia and the PRC have good coastal defense assets, including modern missile systems, capable of hitting any landing craft on the way to the coast.
Another problem for the American army is that the weaker armies of the world, and even separate armed groups, for example, Hezbollah, received guided missile weapons. So the likelihood that the enemy will hit the landing ships at a distance of 50 or 100 miles from the coast has increased many times over. At the same time, it is not possible to solve the problem only at the expense of modern amphibious vehicles. Yes, they are small in size and have a good level of protection against small arms fire and fragments of shells and mines, but at the same time they cannot be used in severe rough seas and are not able to make long-distance swims. Amphibious armored personnel carriers still have to land as close to the shore as possible and at low wave heights.
That is why the Navy and the Marine Corps need small vessels that can deliver infantry, light weapons and military equipment to the coast, operating in the landing zone. First of all, the new amphibious assault vehicle is necessary for the delivery of troops, small-sized ground vehicles, light weapons systems, fuel, electrical equipment, ammunition, drinking water, provisions, etc.
The United States is considering a project known as SHARC (Small High-Speed Amphibious Role-Variant Craft) as a possible option for a new landing ship, which is already called the Higgins boat of the XXI century. According to The National Interest, the new high-speed vessel must deliver troops and equipment to shore at a speed of at least 25 knots (46 km / h). In this case, the ship must transport up to 5 tons of payloads to the shore, and the maximum range of action must be 200 nautical miles (370 km). Some approximate dimensions of the future vessel are also known: the deck length is 13 feet (4 meters), the width of the ramp at its narrowest point is 5 feet (1.5 meters), the draft is 30 inches (0.76 meters).
An important feature of the new small high-speed amphibious assault vehicle should be the ability to operate without a crew, completely autonomously or in remote control mode, when control over the movement of the vessel will be carried out from the board of a large amphibious assault ship or from the shore. It is clear that the Navy and the Marines will only be satisfied with robotic boats, since they expect to receive a modern means that meets the challenges of today. At the same time, the landing vehicle itself must be modular so that it can be easily used for different missions. For example, the possibility of presenting such a landing craft as a platform for placing various weapons or unmanned vehicles (both airborne and underwater) is being considered.
