THE GULF WAR: The Battle Front : Landing Craft Air Cushion

The Landing Craft Air Cushion is one of the Navy’s newest additions to its amphibious fleet. The LCAC hovercraft, which glides on a cushion of air, is able to operate on both water and land surfaces. It is designed to take 25 troops or 70 tons of equipment from an offshore-docking ship onto the beach. According to the Marine Corps, the craft can land on 70% of the world’s coastlines compared to about 15% for conventional landing vessels. But drawbacks include: no armor protection and inability to operate on rough seas. Crew: 5 Length: 88 feet Speed: 40 knots with payload Range: 200 miles Armament: Two M-60 machine guns