T-Craft

Hmmm... From what I see, the Zubr looks pretty good as well. Is there a need for a T-craft when a Zubr would do almost everything except have a range of 2500 nm? Simple might be best.

 

Back to T-Craft:
A large SES mothership (Harrier's and helio's on roof) with six or so LCAC sized hovercraft below might be a nice alternate.[/QUOTE]

That concept was in the initial mix of ideas some years back..it even had a nickname: 'Hens and chicks'. But the idea brought the yawns it deserved; it buys nothing in terms of new or improved capabilities.

 

It was exactly that self-deployable long-range capability that formed a very key requirement for the T-craft requirements matrix. No hovercraft can possibly have endurance...and have you any idea how incredibly short-lived hovercraft skirt systems are?

 

Solutions

Thank you for that info on hover skirt maintenance. I see that everything negative about the T-craft, translates into costs.

Are there possible solutions to make the T-craft cheaper? For example, I saw you posted something on a 100% composite hull by Umoe which would make it lighter and I'm assuming able to take the same load.

 

The costs for T-craft were not so much the hulls..and that is usually true for most all smaller advanced craft. The costs were in the complex propulsion packages (water-borne mode and ACV mode..lots of turbines, gearboxes, diesel engines..etc) and the transformation systems that converted the craft from an SES in to an ACV.

The Umoe design was 100% composite (although with a titanium keel structure for beach landings) because composite is the only kind of hull design and materials Umoe uses for all their ships construction. The Textron design was aluminum hulled I believe..not sure about Alion's but would assume it was aluminum too, or certainly mostly so.

The lighter/stronger debate is always ongoing as it relates to aluminum versus composite. Outside the US, composite construction is winning that debate through demonstrated performance. The biggest Achilles heel with aluminum is the huge disparity between advertised parent material strength ...and the really lousy allowable stresses you end up with after factoring in fatigue and as-welded condition. With composites, as with titanium too actually, fatigue strength and as-welded strength are not factors you have to contend with.

 

I'm assuming that steel was rubbed out due to the weight, rather than fatigue and as welded strength, since it has a high fatigue limit.

For aluminium, isn't there high tensile aluminium like AH 36/DH 36 to mitigate those problems?

Once again, I note that I am a newbie at this and may post some ridiculously obvious questions.

 

Alcoa Joins Forces with Textron
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Alcoa-Joins-Forces-with-zacks-3590747561.html?x=0&.v=1

They don't call any projects the JMACC any more?

 

I'm not sure that I've posted all of these links and articles yet. Sorry if some are double posts.

Marines: From Procurement Tragedy to Triumph
May 11, 2010
http://newwars.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/marines-from-procurement-tragedy-to-triumph/

It's A Hovercraft! It's A Catamaran! But Wait...
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blog...79a7Post:6d5279d8-a208-49ee-9047-f38665cdb571



http://www.foils.org/mtgpapers.htm