T-Craft

[kach22i]

Does anyone have any art, illustrations, models or other graphic representations of the T-Craft they can post?

Sea Base Connector Transformable-Craft (T-CRAFT)
Sea Base Connector Test Craft (T-CRAFT)
Beachable High Speed Sea Base Connector
http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...ip/t-craft.htm

There is a need for high speed marine vehicles that are beachable to allow discharge of troops and cargo. One of the primary military purposes of beachable marine vehicles is to transport cargo such as vehicles and troops from ships at sea to beachheads. These beachable marine vehicles also have commercial application where they may transport cargo to unimproved beach areas.

The anticipated goal of a future T-Craft program would be to contract for the design, production and demonstration testing of a large-scale prototype. In August 2005 the Office of Naval Research solicited proposals through Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) 05-020 for a prototype demonstrator of a Transformable-Craft (T-CRAFT) which can deploy in an unloaded condition (range of 2,500 nm) from the intermediate support base to the Seabase and then be used as a Sea Base connector, transporting wheeled and tracked vehicles through the surf zone and onto the beach.

ONR desires to have the craft run at high speeds in as shallow water as realistically possible. ONR understands that depending upon hullform and propulsion system chosen, this minimum water depth will vary concept to concept. ONR envisions this minimum water depth to be somewhere between 6 and 14 feet.........................................................

As this is an Innovative Prototype to prove a game changing concept vice an acquisition program, no absolute requirements were given for deck loading beyond the payload requirements provided in the BAA. However, it would be expected that the vehicle pressure load limits would be similar to the current LCAC which is no greater than 80 psi. The M1A2 can be assumed to be the heaviest vehicle to be transported for the purposes of demonstrating this prototype.

Alion Awarded $1.7M Phase I Office of Naval Research Contract.
http://www.allbusiness.com/governmen...4054409-1.html

An Alion-led team will develop a prototype demonstrator for the Sea Base Connector Transformable - Craft (T-Craft).

Alion Science and Technology
http://www.alionscience.com/index.cfm

http://www.alionscience.com/index.cf...news&newsid=89

The craft is envisioned to have three modes of operation: fuel-efficient or sea keeping mode, high-speed or shallow water mode and an amphibious mode to travel over sand bars and mud flats.
Engineers from Alion’s JJMA Maritime & Industrial Engineering Group will work on developing the technologies required to perform the T-Craft mission.

Alion Awarded $1.7M Phase I Office of Naval Research Contract
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Alion+Awarded+$1.7M+Phase+I+Office+of+Naval+Research+Contract-a0159541845

Engineers from Alion's JJMA JJMA - John J. McMullen Associates Maritime & Industrial Engineering Group will work on developing the technologies required to perform the T-Craft mission. Alion engineers will design a T-Craft ship platform on which these technologies will be integrated on to demonstrate the three part mission.

Other members of the Alion team include Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, which is performing C3I design, and Nichols Brothers Boat Builders, who will ultimately build the craft.

NOTE: The "Sea Fighter" is also known as the X-Craft, I'm looking for the T-Craft.

Found something...................................

Navatek gets Navy design contract
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar...702200319.html

Honolulu naval architect Navatek Ltd. has received a $2 million contract to design a Navy prototype ship that can deliver tanks and other heavy equipment onto a beachhead.

Navatek's proposal for the so-called T-Craft project uses an amphibious transporter that can be launched from a specially designed ship. The transporter could then carry troops and equipment from ship to shore. Navatek hopes the contract will eventually be worth $160 million, if all options are exercised......................................Navatek was founded in 1979 and operates out of offices in Honolulu with 45 employees. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Marine, founded in 1944, which has 350 employees and annual revenues of $73 million.

Tanks unload from an amphibious transporter in one artist's rendering provided by Navatek. In this preliminary design, the transporter launches from a craft visible in the background.

Interesting website below - end of the road? I have to leave off here, I have to get some real work done today.

Navatek
http://www.navatekltd.com/index.html

[kach22i]

If you read the proposal for the contract, they took "Stealth" out of the requirements. They knew all along they would be going splash with a roostertail all the way. That kind of thing shows up great on surface to surface radar.

To be honest, I would run like hell from something like that coming at me. :lol:

It would have to float, at least when empty. Cargo can go over the side in an emergency, right?

http://www.snowridermag.com/2005/grantsburg.html




I'm told that the snowmobile watercross:

When a machine goes down, the pilot pulls a rip cord and there is flotation that rises to the top of the water. The rider has to stay with that flotation until the race is over. (They only run 4 or 5 very short laps per heat. ) and then a rescue pontoon or 2 come and winch them up and take them to shore. They quickly change plugs and oil and can run again in a matter of minutes!

[kach22i]

FastTrack, Killer amphibious vehicle - 39 mph on water and 55 mph on land
http://www.gizmag.com/go/6906/

The FastTrack company is not your normal company. Located in Hurst, Texas (between Dallas and Fort Worth), FastTrack was founded by Ken and Rod Wernicke, both retired engineers from Bell Helicopter. Ken led the design and development of the XV-15 and V-22 Osprey tilt-rotors and Rod, his identical twin brother, was also instrumental in the development of tilt-rotor technology. Keith, Kent and Tim, their engineer/inventor sons, are also in the company. Research and development began after the Wernickes answered a Navy request for information on concepts for a scout vehicle that could travel on water at high speed and proceed with all terrain capability for reconnaissance on land. The Wernickes conducted research for ten years before fabricating the first Fast Track vehicle, a full-scale demonstrator model, FastTrack 1.

Gallery link:
http://www.gizmag.com/go/6906/picture/31735/

The patent-pending technology that enables the tracks to work as the sole means of high-speed propulsion on water is unique. It enables a vehicle to “get out of the hole, over the hump and on to the plane from dead in the water. Videos of what this means in the real world can be found here.

Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaGLNcIkSm0

[kach22i]

UPDATE Jan 17, 2008

Article:
16 January 2008
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/naval/id...80116_1_n.shtml

Below is one of the winning designs, I don't know what the other one looks like (yet), but with your help maybe we can figure it out.

http://boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.ph...0085#post180085

Originally Posted by BMcF

Here's an option..has a 45-knot open-sea capapability in catamaran mode and deployable/retractable skirt system for amphib mode. Bit pricey..only for the most descriminating yacht owner with very, very deep pockets. We are on the design team for this thing...pic shows it in amphib mode and I'm not sure I can show it with skirt system stowed...without permission from the project office.

An article from Global Security:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/sys...hip/t-craft.htm

UPI article:
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/...raft_ship/7711/

From Alion's website:
http://www.alionscience.com/index.cfm?fuse...&newsid=131

Powerpoint with other designs and specs/metrics
http://www.onrglobal.navy.mil/public/about..._INP_Cooper.ppt

MCLEAN, Va., Jan 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE)
http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=76089808

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) has selected Alion Science and Technology to proceed with Phase II, the detailed design phase, of the Sea Base Connector Transformable-Craft (T-Craft) program. The contract, worth between $6 and $10 million over a period of 12 to 24 months, was awarded on Nov. 30 and makes Alion eligible for the critical Phase III award--construction of the ship--on a $156M contract.

Under the Phase II contract, Alion will build full-scale models of new technologies and demonstrate that they work. These technologies include a ship skirt and seal design, an innovative propulsion power distribution system and vehicle transfer technologies. The second phase also requires Alion to finalize a design suitable for construction of a full-scale ship.

[masalai]

Golly Gosh, that FastTrack looks like a really neat toy

[kach22i]

Seapower magazine September 2006

http://www.seapower-digital.com/seapower/200709/?pg=40


Click the link above to see the image.

BYM Marine & Maritime News
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
http://bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=21156

The T-Craft ship is expected to be demonstrated in 2013 and will be approximately 280 feet long by 80 feet wide and weigh about 2,000 tons. It will travel over 40 knots and carry a minimum of six M-182 tanks.l

Alion engineers will perform the work from its Alexandria, Va. office, with support from its Pittsburgh office.

Umoe Mandal, a Norweigian-based company, also won an ONR award for the second phase of T-Craft.

[masalai]

Kach, must be top secret - image failed to show - soooo sad.....

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by masalai

Kach, must be top secret - image failed to show - soooo sad.....

Click the link and it shows up, it will not print either.

You can always take a photo of your screen I guess.

Transformable Craft (T-Craft)

Sea Basing Connector - Engineering Design Support

Umoe-Mandal USA - ONR BAA # 05-020
http://marinedd.com/index_files/page0012.htm
Period of Performance: January to September 2007

The Amphibious SES T-Craft is based on a derivative of Umoe-Mandal Skjold Class Missile Fast Patrol Boats, design and built for the Norway Royal Navy.

[kach22i]

Another project is a five minute walk from my office here in Ann Arbor, MI.

(MMCC)
Hydrodynamic Design, Testing, Analysis, and Evaluation - Concurrent Technologies Corporation
http://marinedd.com/index_files/page0014.htm

Technologies Corporation’s Multi-Mission Combat Craft (MC2). MDD developed the hydrodynamics test plan and sub contracted the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratories at the University of Michigan to conduct the model testing in their Ship Hydrodynamic Test Facility.

[kach22i]

Page 9 of the powerpoint which I gave a link to. I printed it, then scanned it - I'm not very savy in the way of the computer sometimes.

http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x295/kach22i/

[kach22i]

I read through the pdf, interesting program requirements..............they want to load from cargo ship to T-Caft in Sea State 4 (or more) and assumed only an SES on partial cushion could help level out the craft under these conditions.

To put this in another perspective, they also want to go from the current LCAC payload of 1-Main Battle Tank to 10 tanks!

Here is another twist, if this works out for the large T-Craft they want to trickle down this "transformable" technology to patrol craft, river craft, special operations craft, coast guard patrol craft and so forth.

We may be at the edge of a cliff for plain old hovercraft in the US military.

[BMcF]

Originally Posted by kach22i

We may be at the edge of a cliff for plain old hovercraft in the US military.

nah...not to worry. The JMAC program is still moving ahead smartly (well..'smartly' for the Navy anywho... )

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by BMcF

nah...not to worry. The JMAC program is still moving ahead smartly (well..'smartly' for the Navy anywho... )

Are they developing it one part or system at a time?

Joint Maritime Assault Connector
http://www.dodsbir.net/SITIS/archive...Bookmark=29699

Objective: Development of an improved materials solution for the power transmission shafting of an amphibious Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV).

......................JMAC. Rotation speeds of JMAC will likely be similar to LCAC speeds. JMAC shafting loads could range between current LCAC torque loading and 65% more than LCAC capacity.

http://www.defensetech.org/archives/002356.html

* Joint Maritime Assault Connector. The Joint Maritime Assault Connector (JMAC), previously known as the Seabase-to-shore connector, will replace the venerable legacy landing craft air cushion (LCAC) as a critical tactical level platform supporting Marine Corps assault forces, as well as joint forces operating within the Sea Base. In comparison to the LCAC, the JMAC is envisioned to have many enhanced capabilities, such as the ability to operate in higher sea states, increased range, speed, and payload, increased obstacle clearance, and reduced operating and maintenance costs. The JMAC is planned for fleet introduction in Fiscal Year 2015.

[BMcF]

The program is farily wide-ranging...subsystems are being studied as well as total craft designs. For example, a lot of design work is going on for a composite hull option. Prototype carbon-composite lift fans have already been built and are being tested on an existing craft. Automation of craft control is being studied/developed by several grups. Etc...etc.

Not sure when it all gets pulled together and build decision is made...although they do have a schedule, those are usully meaningless. The program has already been through two or three different acronyms already and you have to have had at least five before construction can begin.

Cynical?..me??

[kach22i]

Sounds very conservative, but smart - I guess.

http://www.goodrich.com/EPP/MonthlyNewsletter

AUG 31, 2006
Michael Smith


See images at bottom of page if for some reason will not open for you.
Powerpoint (large):
https://www.mfp.usmc.mil/TeamApp/G5/Topics/...3%20Unclass.ppt

The actual craft may look different, but I'm not holding out much hope.
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x295/kach22i/