T-Craft

Its not dead..but its very much in a state of flux. Reality bites. The cost of many of the proposed seabasing 'enablers', large and small, platforms and connectors..and related fancy stabilized crane and ramp technologies...well as you would expect, the price tag was truly daunting and unrealistic.

Now its an exercise in scaling back the goals and expectations and figuring out how to do more with much less....and even what that 'more' should entail.

 

Man-made floating islands which are nothing but stationary targets prone to nature's full forces really sounded like a cheap practical way to go.

Just kidding.

Compared to a full fitted carrier task force I'm not sure anything can be called cheap or affordable. The scale of such operations is like putting another man on the moon. I cannot get my mind around it.

 

But the British have a new air-cushioned prototype in the water...

http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2010/08/qinetiq-pascat/

 

I've posted models and hoisted up construction photos of that, but seeing it move is a new and wonderful thing.

Awesome.

 

Invented by a friend of mine for 24 years..and built by the company headed by another friend of mine who worked on T-craft with me. The world of 'boats with air under them' is tiny indeed.

 

Full circle, the first T-craft?
http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964 - 3242.html?tracked=1

Scroll to bottom image of the HD.1

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Chinese are catching up while we cancel projects.

Chinese navy's hovercraft takes part in training
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90776/90786/7054610.html

From scratch?

Looks kind of like a 35 year old US Navy LCAC.

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Hold the thought!
http://www.w54.biz/showthread.php?425-USN-Ship-to-Shore-Connector-program

The MMC/Boeing design of the future Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC).

Original source:
http://www.defpro.com/daily/details/562/

 

China LCAC

Wow, whats old is new again. I wonder if Boeing will have to use Avon skirts like Textron was required.

 

'MMC/Boeing design' my arse. USN (internally) and various contractors (not including MMC or Boeing) designed the SSC (was JMAC). Now various teams are simply lining up to bid on building them...and they (MMC/Boeing) are just one of them.

 

On this boat, the deck is moved down only when the boat reach the beach.





advantages : high speed, good sea keeping in bad weather conditions

 

I've seen that of course..and like it. ONR has something similar. The big question in my simple mind is how robust that overall structure is when a major portion of critical cross-deck moves up and down.. I'm sure the designers beat that to death...

Aalesund you hail from. Du er ikke Norsk. What are you doing in the western coast of Norway?

 

If we are going to post different craft.

Screen shots of an abandoned 100 foot long hovercraft in Florida, which somehow moved 500-600 feet on it's own. The greatest distance it will ever travel?





Where the 60 ft and 120 ft hovercraft rumored to exist (by the same people) are is still a mystery.

Screen shots done via Google Earth, where only Dick Cheney can hide.

 

The world wonders. Wonder also what all those funny looking 'duct-like' pieces scattered about the hulk were supposed to be.

 

Roof mounted trust vector units, worked great on a RC model about 20 inches long. Pictures of the model are in one of the PDF's floating around the Internet.

 

Right. It's hard to tell from this shot where is was sitting when taken...

 

The "X" was going off of my 3-year old foggy memory.

Yea, they (the thrusters) would be on the four corners. However because of the top level the front two thrusters would not be able to rotate a full 360, but a 180 is conceivable.