3-d animation of new French landing craft cat.

http://vimeo.com/7557236

might need to slap the website a couple times to make it work.

I guess the center cargo hold goes up and down. Nifty.

Wiki says it goes pretty fast, too.

I wonder if a civil version could be had.

 

Good,! Maybe a few things to say to make it more "professional" but already very good indeed. Bien!
Did you do all that work all by yourself?
Could have a civil version...but "DCAN" would not allow it!. There has already been a 40m. (or larger?) civil landing craft by Incat: very limited clientele.

 

Why would the French need a landing craft?

 

"Why would the French need a landing craft?"
Maybe some of these guys would find them usefull.

Régiment de Marche du Tchad (RMT) in Meyenheim[4] (mechanized infantry)
Régiment d'infanterie-chars de marine in Poitiers (light armoured)
1er Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RPIMA) in Bayonne (airborne commandos)
3e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (3e RPIMa) in Carcassonne (airborne infantry)
8e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (8e RPIMa) in Castres (airborne infantry)
1er Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (1er RIMa) in Angoulême (light armoured)
2e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (2e RIMa) in Le Mans (infantry)
3e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (3e RIMa) in Vannes (infantry)
21e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (21e RIMa) in Fréjus (infantry)
1er Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (1er RAMa) in Laon (artillery)
3e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (3e RAMa) in Canjuers (artillery)
11e Régiment d'Artillerie de Marine (11e RAMa) in Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier (artillery)
2e Régiment de Parachutistes d'Infanterie de Marine (2e RPIMa) in Pierrefonds (Réunion) (airborne)
5e Régiment interarmes d'outre-mer (5e RIAOM) in Djibouti
6e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (6e BIMa) in Libreville (Gabon)
9e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (9e RIMa) in Cayenne (French Guiana) (infantry)
33e Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine (33e RIMa) in Fort-de-France (Martinique)
Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique – Nouvelle Calédonie (RIMaP-NC) in Nouméa New Caledonia (infantry)
Régiment d'Infanterie de Marine du Pacifique – Polynésie (RIMaP-P) in Papeete
23e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (23e BIMa) in Dakar (Senegal)
41e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (41e BIMa) in Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe)
43e Bataillon d'Infanterie de Marine (43e BIMa) in Port-Bouet (Côte d'Ivoire)

 

This reminds of the Susitna, a variable-draft, SWATH catamaran expeditionary craft, built as a proof-of-concept vessel for the Navy and Marine Corps, which has been listed for sale.

 

Great question.

A better question:

"Why such a POORLY designed landing craft? This is NOT 1944. And no one is desperate and in a hurry. So, why?"

 

PAR, your question surprises me. Is there a marine infantry in the world which doesn't have a landing craft?

 

I think the design is pretty novel and addresses two issues rather elegantly. I high speed catamaran that transforms into a shallower draft landing craft, way cool.

Steve

 

It does NOT TRANSFORM into a shallow water craft. It will bulldoze up a sandy beach and that is about it.

Badly designed. The tonnage listed is at least 4 times what it would be able to land on just about any real beach.

And I would NOT want to be a Marine hitting the beach from that TARGET...

 

"Why would the French (FRANCE) need a landing craft" is a legitimate question -- considering WWi, WW2, French Indo China, (Viet Nam) to name just a few. Nothing against the average Jo Blo French Soldier, he did quite well fighting under the leadership of German Officers on the Russian front and against the Allies in WW2. I see they have gotten themselves involved in a conflict in Africa, while it seems justified, I see Canada is slowely getting dragged in -- Could this be reflections of how the U.S. ended up in Viet Nam. I say we should walk softly and carry a big stick on this one.

 

Oh really?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzS94MXBpjE

It can out perform the tin cans the British Royal Marines are using in every way. It has a higher capacity and three times the speed.
It certainly presents no more of a target than anything else in the NATO catalogue.
I think it is a work of genius, and I hope we buy some.

Maybe that is why the Russians are buying them also.



Why would anybody want to be a Marine at all?

 

I'd like to see the details on watertight doors bow and stern. I'm guessing they got some big bailing pumps.

Anyone got any info on exactly how it goes up and down, and how they keep all that from jamming, and mechanical stresses involved, and if any "un-jamming" procedures exist?

If I Was Designing It, I'd make it so the main engine water jets could be called on to bail the cargo hold.

Again, IIWDI, and hitting the beach for an off or on-load(especially on-load), I'd want to drop a BIG sea anchor on the way in in nice deep water and have that hooked up to an BIG fast winch(again powered off main engines, or even "rocket" powered), to pull the craft off the beach if needed.

Discarding the sea anchor would be an option in emergency situation.

I'd also like to see a 'roof' option on the cargo hold, to further transform it into "office" or other indoor environment like operating room, mechanic shop, etc.

Maybe an optional "heli-pad" capable roof.


PS-I didn't do that 3-D video, just found on Wiki

 

Bigger -- more capacity-- is this wise in a landing craft. I would think multitudes of smaller cheaper faster to build craft would result in less casualities. The idea being a copy of nature, protection in numbers, bait fish schools. A prime war time example the Sherman tank.

 

Imo, you are thinking obsolete, Viking. Wars are no more fought D-Day style, against big armies and heavily defended shore. This craft will be used in a zone cleared and secured by airstrikes and spec-ops, or against low-tech enemies (terrorists, pirates, guerrilla fighters etc.), so risk of getting hit and heavily damaged while in the water is imo small. It's purpose is to deliver ground forces for inland operations, from a safe shore.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this.

 

I grew up almost on a beach.

South Padre Island is the longest barrier island in the world.

I do not know of ANYWHERE they could land their supposed landing craft on S. Padre.

The difficulty with landing craft, troop, or vehicle is simple. No TWO beaches are the same.

AND something like 95% of the beaches in the world do not easily allow landing.

Having said that, if you draw FIFTEEN FEET, YOU NEED A PORT TO UNLOAD.

If you need a port to unload, it is NOT A LANDING CRAFT - IMHO.

SOMEONE wrote this is obsolete thinking, we have people to go in ahead of time to prepare the beach - ENGINEERS.

Again, if you have a port, why waste money on LANDING CRAFT.

ESPECIALLY ONE WHICH IS SO BAD THEY ONLY HAVE A PROPOSED VIDEO TO SUPPORT IT .... ???

I know it is CUTE. But, let us get realistic. Landing craft are the ONE huge market for ships currently. Because no one has thought of actually building one which works. They are terribly risky in the best of conditions - a smooth beach with a lot of sand. They are worse in bad conditions:

AKA a beach where terrorists and pirates have been cleared out accept for the last lucky fool with a rocket launcher .... or bomb vest. And engineers have not made a port yet ....

Why do you think there are terms like, "Any (any) port in a storm?," or, "safe port?"

There are not very many - IMHO.