Volume 12 Issue 134 Modem Sniping Rifles

Light Cruisers of World Wu I

Modern Combat Shotgns
r-c ;si' ro Ltd 1986 Raiders and Armed Merchantmen of
Modern Riot Control Equipment

-::: )rb
=
ishing Ltd,

lf rleetting: :, :r^^ccs:ng Lid

Consultant Editor: Major General Sir
F m work: :-=: -.: _:itc Ltd Jeremy Moore KCB OBE MC, Comman-
A"rt sts:
der of British Land Forces during the
Falklands campaign.
-:,::::-=
::::' :.-.:- & Tory Bryan

Distribution and marketing offices: Picture acknowledgements

--:a: Orbls Publishing Ltd Covet photoqtraph: Bntish HovercFlt Corporation. 2661: Bntrsh Hovercraft Corporatior/British Hovercrafi
Orbls House Corporatron. 2662: British Hovercraft Corporation 2663: US NavyruS Navy,A/osper Thornycroft 2664:
20-22 Bedfordbury Westlild HelicopteryBell Halter. 2665: Brltish Hovercraft Colporation/British Hovercraft Corporation
: - :t - :-=.: 3rtaln London WC2N 4BT 2666r Bitish Hovercraft Corporation/Bntish Hovercralt Corporahon/British Hovercraft Corcoration 266?:
Telephone: 01 319 6111 Griffon Hovercraft/Gfiffon Hoyercraft. 2668: US Na!ry. 26II: US Navy 26?2: US Navy. 26?3r US Army/US Navy
2674: US Narry/US Narry/US Army/US Navy 2675: US Army/Bell Aerospace TeItrolt/Beli Aerospace Textron
Subscriplion Manager: Christine Allen Circulation Manager: Brian Anderson 2676: US Naly/US Narry,4JS Navy. 2678: US Army/US Nara//US Army 26?9: Litton Industries/US Navy. 2680:
4488 72666 Marketing Manager: Paul Stelb US Nary/Bell'Halter (iii): MARS Lmcs/Saab (iv): MARS Lncs.

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ir rr ,,.r;r.-, iti,t,..:1,r"'i.it:ttt:tt v!: i:Ite )liJ!:jiilS,: r.,,t1;;;,1y

';6rs;)iii. a-,ti.Ve tlte:;'lLt.y,lf 4f:'C,
'['he cr:ly curre.r]t ltavr:]'cr ett liJtejy fo.see acdr:tt at e the 5E.i''J6:: a.it d ilre :'
'\jil r:!1.i..;tjturi' !t;ti:: cJ i:r'sif eti'ira.n , ;tritl, itt.r: :;i;: 5E.I{6s of I ra,q. The liii .7 " ;.- .
flre :,r-rf:jr.r'l rlsr:nre ol f:ie lloya I ltlaly's I',li.nt {-ouiltu! rtleesLr.res t1r; i'. .
'
: t::i:, a:taL(ie ij).!:lo, t;rtt.it-! i]:re;rir-cr,r.slrioa ir:-hrc{s,rr-rorzedifssuil;liiJity ftir ii:te rttJe

D:soite ihe iact lhai the horre.r:craft or /.\OV (Air Cusliion Vehicle) truas a rL vi;33 1s11631ed ihat senror Brrtrsh shLp d.esrq;ners arL:l ,,:. :
Eliish rr,veniio.i firore ihan 25 )/ears ago lhe leaC irr desrgn and Lrse ol 'riioulci be spencllng a month or so siuCyrng the US l\.Jav-i.-r S::
-cucli r:rail has long srnr:e been losi by lhe UK- to the USljR.
I'lVtth ihe d,-rnn.q its er-qhi month denronstraLron Jrjl
ic ...1 cus E.,.,,..=.
hr_ctosl f Leet oioperaiicrrerl ACVs olhrre dillereni classeg, lhe Sor,'iet navy navles
-rasconsisienlly dernonslrated lhe crafi'-q qreal versatilily ancl vrabilrty as ln ih-^ Far East the People s Repubhc ol Chrna is ,,r.- ..,., -
vehrcle, loqiistrc il:ansport and ri rs belLeved nine watriatre
:Ln assa.L-rl.i /\CV clesiqns both lbr rnrlrlary l?Llrlloses and. re-:.i I -

ruessel ln additron the USSF i:; aclrvely e,.,plorrnq1 lhe tv,/o related ai:eas of Jing-sah r:iass is srnrlar to a scaled dovirrr Brrtrsh SF. l'l-, ..' -.
iie Fjuiiace Eliect Sfrlp (SES) ancf ihe l1vrng In-C;i:ou,nc1 ellecl (-'/VIG) and is equal rr rnos: respecls to any Western oi: St . - . .
I ril \ ,11l or rs type.
Allhough the LItl l'Ja-/y h;rs realizcd the nulilary poi--ntial of AC\1 arLd The GullWar l:eLriveen lraq and. lran r,,rhich is s--t
i:l-iS teclinolog-y so iarr ii has hmited iis acquisitron ol ihe former lo lhe given /\C)Vs ll-ierl first exiencled use,n a lotal w.11 .,.. .-
LCI'fJ lanclinc; crait pius a. nrrmber oi earlrr:r inals crali, ernd oi lhe laiier piaevlcus operational ca).perrerr..je in a cornbai zone ha'L -- ,--
io several IJHS prototyp--s and the r-rern, iMCi] Cardrnai' class ior inrne ihe Vieinan-r War in lhe rnid 1960s urher ihe LJS |Ja\r.- u;-
cor-r"n ierffreasures ciuiies built copies ol the SR.1\5 in ihe ltl-ol<ono cielta regrr:r
in Er,rrope only Fiance has shorrvn a c;enuln-o rnier.esi rn SES rruarships, j:lrrlt.:ltLllizer:*a!'t j-88':!arnerrlsfu";ies
r:i J't)r l.fte aiy,ct:'sltii:ttvehrci-^ :- ,,-...
vyhilst the Royal irlavy has been iorced lo abandon hovercrafi derrelop
meat (paying oliits lasi ACV in tl'ie auiumn ol 1985) because olthe lack ol aslrrTia t,3al il'ia I llA ;-ter tertt r:f t !t: r,t oi"Jd',rr.b.r.:r."h r:s ca;i i:e l;:nl,:^,t) t):: ' -
luncls aLnd lack cl inlelest on the part of the MoD ]ronically, early tn 1986 ;ls {iF;li-liirlij J.r J 7 f ei ceir l u rG ti? lalt gr-1yyg1|ii.jnai afip:1i! } j. ti:a [. ':, .:

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FRANCE

French air-cushion vehicles

- :: Dubiqeon-Normandie Naviplan
N500 was a civilian passenqrer/car fer-
:.- ACV designed for use on cross-
::annej operations. Like the British
Si. N4 hovercraft it could in wartime
::ve been used safely as an emergen-
:;i logistrc transport on routes througth
:-ispected enemy mineflelds that
,',ould have stopped conventional
.,rrps. Allhough rwo c.aft were o"igr
.al1y b*rlL. one (Lhe N500-l; was wrl-
:en off after a severe flre that started
during minor repair work to its skirts.
The second (N500-02 Ingenieur Jean
Berfin) was subsequently modrfied to
incorporate a br-conical skirt aranqe
ment that increased the cushion area
by some 10 per cent and enabled the
bodstern ramp equipped craft to lift
4lB passenqers and 65 vehrcles wrth-
out any increase of installed power.
Unfortunately the N500-2 was with
drawn from service in late l9B3 be
cause of continuous technical prob-
lems which caused high unser- Specification
vrceability The N50O was characte- Naviplan N500
rtzed in appearance by an aft-mounted Dimensions: lenqth 50 O m (164. I ft);
horizontal stabrlizer that carried the beam 23.0 m (75. I ft)
three Avco Lycoming propuision qas Propulsion: five 3 200-shp (3877-kW)
turbrnes tn separate nacelles gras turbines driving two lift fans and
Although no longer rn use, the destgn three propellers
was the largest ACV produced rn Weights: maximum 260 tons; payload
France and provided much valuable see text
data indirectly to the French nalry for Speed:75 kts
any future investment it may make in Electronics: one navigatron radar
ACV technoiogy.

tfi
FRANCE

French SES types

As part of an overall plan to meet the
needs of the French nar,ry for the 1990s
and beyond, the Direction T6chnique
des Constructrons Navales set up a
special division to study surface-effect
shrps for use in the ocean-qoinq ASW
ro1e.In 1981 a 54-ton 12.l-m (39.7-ft)
lonq seagoing trial craft, called the
MOLENES (Moddl Libre Exp6rimental
de Navire A lEff6t de Surface) was
launched to study all the systems re-
quired by an SES ofa higher length-to-
beam ratio to confirm the data pro-
duced by water-tank model trials and
to investrgate the effect of acceleratron
and manoeuvrability on the structure
equipment and crew members Thrs rs
to be followed rnto sewrce by a 196,43-
ton NES-200 prototype which will
confirm the feasibility of such craft in
the ASW role and to investiqrate SES
capabrlities in other mrlrtary and com-
mercial roles. The design is being
used to obviate the need for the de-
velopment of any special components
such as hft fans or propulsron plant as
they can all be bought off-the-shelffor
such craft. The information qained
from both trials craft will, if satisfactory,
be used in the construction ofthe pro-
jected 3,930{on NES-4000 SES warship
for the next century The vessel will be
fltted with medium-calibre guns,
CIWS surface-to-surface missrles and
a iarge hangar and flight deck aft for a
number of ASW helicopters. It will also
have a full complement of air, surface
and sub-surface sensors,
Specification
NE5-4000
Dimensions: lenqth 111.2 m (364 B ft)
beam30.9 m(101.4 ft); draughton
cushion 2,7 m (B B ft)
Propulsion: two 4O 000-shp (29824-kW)
and one tO 750-shp (12489-kW) gas
turbines driving two hydrojets and two
lift fans respectively; hullborne
propulsion uses two dresels deliverrng
4 800-hp (3579-kW) to two shafts
Weight: maximum displacement 3, 930
tons
Speed: on cushion 65 kts, and
hullborne 25 kts on qas turbrnes or
l6 }<ts on dresels.
Armament:two single 76 or 100-mm
(3- or 3.94-in) DP gmns, one CIWS
mounting, and ASW torpedo tubes
Aircraft: four to slr ASW helicopters
Electronics: one air-search radar, one
surface-search radar one navrgtation/
heltcop'^1-s.. rol radar one action
information system, one ESM suite and
two sonar systems (including one
towed-array type)
Complement: 130-150

ffi $n.N+ 'Mountbatten' class air-cushion vehicle

The BHC SR.N4 Mk 2 'Mountbatten'
class ACV is a passengerlcar ferry
surtable for lB5-km (115-mile) pas-
sages on coastal routes. Although crvi-
lian-owned, these craft could have an
impoftant wartime loqristics role of fer-
ryrng reinforcement equrpment and
supplies across the English Channel
without having to worry too much ab-
out damaged port facrlitres or enemy
minefields. Only six 'Mountbatten
class craft have been built to date, of
which four were convefied from the
original SR.N4 Mk I to the Mk 2 stan-
dard whrlst the remaining two went
direct to the heavier SR,N4 Mk 3 Super
4 configmration with a 16.76-m (55-ft)
long insert amidships that also in-
creased the beam slightly. The Mk 2s
currently cafiy 2BZ passengrers and 37
vehicles in a single lift, whilst the Mk 3s
can carry 4lB passengrers and 60 vehi
cles A military variant, ihe Military 4,
-,vas announced in l9B0 and this can
:arry a payload of up to 165 tons of
supplies andl/or vehicles or a max-
mum of 1 000 fully-equipped troops at
speeds of around 65 kts, It is probable
that ifstripped ofall interior furnishings
a bodstern ramp-equipped civilian
SR N4 could carry similar loads rn the
logstic transport role which means for
exampie that all the men of a Royal
Marine Commando or an infantry
battalion plus most of their equipment
could be carrred. The only limitation
would be the sea state which rf too
hiqh would limrt the craft's perform-
ance,
Specification
SR.N4
Dimensions: length (Mk 2) 39.68 m
(]30, 17 ft) or (Mk 3) 56,38 m (185.0 ft);
beam (Mk 2) 23 77 m (78,0 ft) or (Mk 3)
28,04m(920ft)
Propuision: four 3,400-shp (2535-kW)
qas turbrnes driving four hft fans and
four propellers
Weiqhts: maximum (Mk 2) 200 tons or The British Hovercraft Corporadon's SRJ{4 is lh e iargest hovercraft in regulai
(Mk 3) 300 tons: payload see text service.ln an amphr'brbus assault role it can carr.r' up lo ) .a00 fully-equipped
Speed: (Mk 2) 70 kts (Mk 3) 65 kts troops, or light tanks. It is similar in size lo tl'e -<o;lel ,&sf 'cla.s.s, which is a
Electronics: two navigation radars purpose-designed amphibious assaui r ffaii.

SR.N4'Mountbatten' class mine countermeasures hovercraft

-re BHC SR.N4 Mk 4'Mountbatten'
class MCMH (mine countermeasures
:-:-;ercraft) is identical rn most re-
:pects to the Britrsh Hovercraft Cor-
!:ratlons SR.N4 Mk 2 civrlian passen-
;::r car ferry version but with a much
-=:ger fuel load At its maximum weight
:
- capable ofcarryingup to 59875 kq
- i2 000 lb) of mission payload in addi-
--:: to its fuel for a lO-hour sortie. As
:::,gned it is able to perform all the
.=s-<s carried out by a conventional
:-::sweeper with wire and/or rnflu-
-:.1: sweeps or a mrnehunter usrng
- .';:i sonar and either a Gemini ding-
:-',' ; -tn drsposal divers or a remote-
,,..::l]ed PAP-104 submersible, The
_- r - _ _trah,VeIStOnOl
operations room, crew quarters and _ -r rrrlr!rur I
-
workshops can be located in the twin = :. .=. . . =: ::,r- has been Purch-
side-cabin structures or on the central
deck area forward of the main winch
position. All the signiflcant fittinqs in
the cargo area are erected on palle-
tized modules in order to facilitate role
chanqes for MCM missions and con
version, rf required, to the logistic
transport role. A comprehensive com-
munications and navigTation fit is car-
ried, as is an MCM orrentated action
information system
On an operation several MCMHs
would normally be deployed to form a
Forward Support Unit that would set up
a Mobile Advanced Base for up to

::'
l'line Wqrfcre Hovercrcrff
With the increase ln size of modern hovercraft, which pre-
supposes an increase in carrying capacity, it is naturil that
naval planners should begin to look at a variety of roies for
which the unique qualities of air cushion vehicles may be
ap pl i c ab le - p ar ticularly in mine w arf are.

Although the Royal Navy has tested hovercraft extensrvely tn the firine coun-
termeasures role and found them ideal platforms because (amongst other
.things)
they are relatrvely invulnerable to underwater explos ons, the sad fact
remains that f urther development work has been curtailed because of the lack
of funds and lack of interest at high levels of the Ministry of Defence. The last
ioy al ltavy ^ove-cra[1. a BH7, was rer-r-ed n 1'e dLluff n o. t 985 to rq bu,lders
{Brltish Hovercraft Corporation) for disposal.
As usual this contrasts sharply with the position rn the UK's c osest al y, the
USA, whose navy placed an order with Bell Halter lncorporated for the USS
Cardinal (MSH-l ), the prototype of a class of glass relnforced plast c m ne
sweeper,rminehunters with an SES (Surface-Effect Shlpt tvpe hull. Lil.e a hover-
I
I

craft the SES rides on a 'bubble' of air but, instead of being contained by a
iiexrble all-round skirt. the air is contalned by r oid s dewalls (that penetrate the Given the intenseSovief jnlerestin surface skimmers of all kinds, together
!\dterqsurlacero.rorovestab.l ty nrougn.eattanc, l,e>b,esi'is'orea^dalt. with a realistic appreciation of the potentials of mine warfare, it wotild seer,
Thrs means that an MCM SES craft rs more resrstant to underwater shocks f rom natural for the USSR to have attempted ta combine the two. One of f.he mosi
a mine explosion than a conventional-hulled MCM craft as the cushion's lrft suitable craft for such use would be the 27A-bn'Aisf 'class yessej-
reeos o'tosL ol Lne null crear ol rne wdter s.,rrac.e rTne novercraf r s more
'es sla-l sl:i'as ls nul > ,s,al y I rr 3.3 tr or more aoove 11e r,ta1o'. r ding on a
cush on of air that can absorb a arge part of the shcck wave.) The air cushion
also reduces the SES's underwater magnet c, acoustic and pressure stgnatures,
thereby considerably reducrng the chances of detonating a mine before rt can be
detected by the sensors aboard. The sonar system fitted s n tially to be of the
n-1.-mo-^Leo SOO-30 variab e-deptn Trrne-delecr o- dno classricdr or r\pe idn
upgraded SOO-14) but because of rts limrtatrons th s rs to be replaced as s6on as
possible by the brand new SOO 32 set The craft wiil also carry the SSN-2
Dleciie lnltrgrdteo \av:gaton S\stems rDl\Si w t^ a co.r-a^d a^Ll conrrol
suite for dlsplaying data on mine locations and exchanginq information wrth
other MCM unrts.
1n the conventional mrnesweeprng ro e the Cardinalwill carry and use a Size
'1

mechanicai sweep, a Mk 5 magnetic sweep and sinqle Mli 4V and Mk 6G

acousiic sweeps; for minehunting the Cardrnalwill be able to deploy a single
cable-controlled Min.e Neutralization Vehicle (MNV) to examrne and destroy
Below: Originatly acquired by theRoyalNavy for trials in the togistic support
role, theVosper ThornycroftVT-2 was extensively modified for mine
countefineasure support. It proved much less vulnerable to underwater
explosions than did conveniional displacemenl yesse,ls.
Above:TheUS Navy's LCAC amphibious hovercra{t programme sa;1. :;r':
m ain design s produced, with the contr act gaing to Belrs AALC. J E F I i ;
Iosing design from Aerojet, has been retained for research into-m:ne
countermeasures, Arctic operations and large- scale medical ev ac,J a : : :.
:

5_

& 5
*"'"''.s
 ]i o iern Military Hovercraft
- -:: -.e 3 8'm (12 long MNV w ll be on the end oi a 1525-i. i a,'-'
'.., - .e g,r about 9985Jt)
kg {2,200 ib), be capable of 6 <ts under ware- .-: :-
- .-:r \\ tn a c osed-c rcuit TV camera in the nose
:. -:
and wtth faci 1,es.or s:.
.')r e)o'rooedn nesor'otoanlnedn€'\o.o( lt - ,-:; .: .- :-_-
: ai rp to 30 kts, and the other two at up to 28 kts.
C For minehunting the MCMH configuralions can be changed and the sea-_
Some 17 MSH craft are to be bu t so that tnree -a:i be bese: a. \,--,..c:.:,
ihode lsland and Groton, Connect cut, {ive at Norfoik, Virg n a, s x ai Cr:r e sio:.-,
South Carolrna, and three at Mayport, Flcrida wttn ti^re pr,.rarv riiss o" of
protecting US strateg c misstle submarine bases, tne approaches to the bases
and the SSBNs' transit routes to deep warer.
n the U K BHC has capttalized on the expe lence gai ned by the Royal Navy and
I detonated to destrov the mine. lf a mine,disoosal vehicle is not used. a Gerr.'r
has designed mine countermeasures valants of lts SB N4 lthe SR.N4 Mk 4
MCMH) lnd BH7 {the BH7 Mk 20 MCMH) During the var ous navy trials of
novercra'T lvpes Lwds proveo Indt d ^ove'crarr. w^en co^lpo.ed w tn a co-vp1
Io^a'm nesweeoer, ^aq o n-rcJ- 'as1e.l.ans I soeeo /up lo i ve r,-es gredterJ 1o
the operat ng area, a much better track-keeping ability in rough weather, and the
al"e"dy rre.r oneo Iowe' Jnoerware- signaL-'es.
Dlr ng lre n iai searce 16 r i^se ar >peeos bel!\aen 12 ana 2a.t". 1ov\tro
s dc-scon. va'oble-deol- o' r-l motnted eiracldb e bona.s ea- be erp'9ypj
the sJbseqJenl >\ eep ng be ng po16'-"d by ar rne- conr"enr.onal Io'reo qed'
found aboard RN minesweepeTS or, as in the case of the BH7, by the American
.:.ied ll<
-J'eo
T03 mechanrcal,
r"!n^!
Mk 104 acoustic, Mk 105 maqnetic or M.
. cco JsLc \arr -'
c sled sr','eeps normalty -seo oy LS
s'r,'eep:ng helrcopters. The Mk 103 is towed at speeds up to 12 kts, the Mk " --
sp.ed reo-ceo ro bel\ ee^ 2 ano 5 l.rs'or the sona' nu^fnq pnase O...
Lo^'acL has been rrade t^e sona' s switcned ro lls cldss f car-on rode. ar:
the target rs confirmed as a m ne a remotely-controlled wire-guided PAP-.1 i-
mrne-disposal vehicle is sent down to confirm by TV camera and lay an F!
charge as near to it as possible. The PAP-I 04 ls then recovered and the charq=
dinghy is launched with divers aboard to do the work bv hand.
As n r-e Amer;can 'Card nal c,ass and conten-pora'y B- t,h TVCMVc
precise navigatton system and a command and control cbntre are fitted. The
bonus oT the MCMHs rs that because of their modularized,'pal et zed pavloac-
l.lev eaa be o' m ne warare equ prrenr ro se,ve as .oq sl c s-pply r a
"tripoeo
ln time of need. ln the llqht of the hovercraft's success in the MCM fieLd it s
t-.prisi^g lrtar '^e Royal Navy wenl lor a con\onl o^a -'x o- ne\\-qenerd .'
surface vessels instead of a more radicai hovercraftisurface ship package
espec ally as the cost of a 'Brecon' class MCMV is now approach ng that o"' .
fu1ly equipped MCMH.

Left: AIso invoived in the RoyalNavy

M C MH trials, the B ritish Havercraf t
BH.7 Mk 2 demonstrated the \ow
magnetic and acaustic signatures,
together with much greater speed
tha n con v en tional minesweeper s.
The major problem was o! course
expense, as ACV| cost a lot to run.

Below: The US Naty has ordered the

first of a new generation of harbaur
mine sw ee p e r s from B e I I- T e x tr an.
They will be Surface Effect Ships -
rigid-w alle d hover cr alt. w hich
cgmp!9 naly o! th.e advantases o:
the ACV and the catamaran. This ts
theSES-20A. wfircfi rs resting the SES
concept.

:::::::::::::::::=:::trr :r ': .,::,,,::=::..,: .:. i

. :...a.-.:.::.: . ....-.
.
. ....:1::::a:=>'..-
:....-.:.: ::.::::::::::::]]l:!1. i.l.''
::
::.:: :..:::..:::
:

2Sti4
ffi Hn.NO 'Winchester' class air-cushion vehicle
Designed originally as a fast ferry for
operations in sheltered waters, the
BHC SR.N6'Winchester' class ACV has
evolved rnto a number ofvariants over
the years, Although extensively tested
by the Royal Narry and British army al1
over the world including the Falk-
Iands, the SR.N6 craft used were sold
in 1982 followrng the demise of the
Hovercraft Trials Unit. The basic SR.N6
Mk I can accommodate either 38 Pas-
sengers or 3 tons ofsupplies, and is in
use with the Egyptian nalry (one) and
the Royal Saudr Arabian Frontier
Force and Coast Guard (eight) This
model was followed bY the whollY
miiitary logristic support SR.N6 Mk 2
and SR.N6 Mk 3 variants, which feature
a roof loading hatch and sPectallY
strenqthened srde decks for longi loads
weighing up to 0.5 ton; a roof-mounted
armament of one7.62- or 12.7-mm (0,3'
or 0.5-in) machine-eun is carried for
defensLve purposes. The maximum
payioad is increased to 5 tons of sup-
plies or between 20 and 30 fully armed
troops, Only the Egyptian (two Mk 2s)
and Iranian (two Mk 2s) navies have
this type in service, thougrh the former
has had all three of its SR,N6s modified
to cary srx 500-kg (1,105{b) qround
mines J required. The lranian nauY
also has six SR.N6 Mk 4 variants in
service, These are used for coastal de-
fence duties and can carrY either
20-mm cannon or SS, 12 wire-gruided
Variants of the SR.N6 are in service
worldwide, involved in seismic
survey, search and rescue, freight
haulage, crash rescue and
fir efighting, among s t othe r tas ks.
The twin-propelleredMk 6 has a
payload of between five and six tons
of equipment or up to 55 passengers.
missiles as alternatives to the more
usual 7, 62-mm medrum machtne-gruns,
The Iraqi customs service also uses the
same hovercraft, but as the SR.N6 Mk
6C general-purpose model, with a lar-
ger cabin to accommodate uP to 55
passenqers or between 5 and 6 tons of
supplies. Six are in use, and are known
to have been used for combat duties in
the Gulf War,
Saudi Arabia also has eight units of
the SR.N6 Mk 8 type in service, This is
the latest of the mrlitary variants to be
produced: it can carry up to 55 fully-
equipped troops in the assault role, or
have the same armament alternatives
as the Mk 4 when used as a patrol craft
It differs from the earlier variants in
having only a single propeller and the
addition of two air condittoningtunits on Above : SR.N 6'W inchester' is the
the roof aft of the cockpit, military variant of the widely-used
SR.N6 fastferry.It can be used in the
Specification logistics role over swampy terrain or.
as here, as a fast coastal patrol craft'
SR.N6 MK 8
Dimensions:iength 18.3 m (60.0 ft); It canbe armedwith20-mm cannon
beam 8.5 m (28,0 ft) or with short-range SSMs.
Propulsion: one 1, 05O-shp (785-kW)
gas turbine driving one lift fan and one Left:The SR.NG Mk 213 is a mifitarizeC
version of the standard civil ferry.
propeller
Weights: maximum tons; payioad and unlike the Later Mk 6 seen abote
I 6. 7
see text is powered by a single propeller.
This modelwas operated by the
Speed:50 kts
Electronics: one Royal Navy trials unit in locations as
diverse as Hong Kong and the
naviQlator radar
F alklands (ironic ally. practis ing
a
amphibious landings ! ).
)
I
I
J
i;
u$.
ti
:{
>K iiHz 'Wellingrton' class air-cushion vehicle
The BHC BHZ 'WellinSrton' class was to keep the load-carrying capabilrty.
designed specifically for navy and However, rnstead of the 30-mm tuffet
military use, the BH7 Mk 2 prototype two single 20-mm cannon can be
sewing with the Royal Navy (from 1970 mounted on the rool posrtions pre
to late 1985, when funds ran out) as an viously used for machine-guns
advanced{echnoloW trials craft to ev- A follow-on version is the BH7 Mk 20
aluare hovercrafl rn the logrsric sup- multi-role craft, which is a stretched
port, hshery protection, ASW and mode] with greater payload and the
MCM roles. This machine was fol- latest advances in skrrt technology. To
lowed on the productton line by two date no country has bouqrht this variarit
BHZ Mk 4 logistic support and four BHZ
Mk 5 combat versions for the lranian Specification
former, armed with medium
nar,ry. The BH?MK5A
machine-guns on each srde of the Dimensions: Iength 23.9 m (78.33 ft);
cabtn, can carry loads such as 170 ful- beam 13.9 m (45 5 ft)
ly-armed troops or 60 troops wrth Propulsion: one 4, 250-shp (3 I 69-kW)
three l,and Rovers and trailers, or two gas turbine dnving one lift fan and one
light armoured vehicles, or up to 14
tons of supplies The Mk 5s were de- Weiqhts: maximum 55 tons; payload Above: The latest variant of the BH7'Wellington' is the Mk 20 Fast Attack Craft,
signed for coastal defence duties and see text which can carry an impressiveweaponfit, in this case a pair of Rarden 30-mm
have recesses on their side decks for Speed:58 kts cannon andfour,Sea Skua surface-to-surface missi/es.,Sea Cat SAMs orExocet
two medium-range anti-ship SSMs Electronics: one navigation radar SSMs are alternative amaments.
(such as the MM 38 Exocet) plus the
ability to carry a radar-controlled tuvin
30-mm turret on the foredeck in front of
the centre cabin, which is used as the
operations centre, Although not armed
as such rn Irantan servrce, the Mk 5s
and the logtistic Mk 4s have seen con-
siderable combat service during the
Gulf War
In l9B2 the Saudr Arabian navy
ordered eig'ht BH7 Mk 5A combaV
Iogistrc hovercraft, which are essen-
tially similar to the Mk 5 but retain the
bow door of the logistic model in order

Right: Seen here speeding past HMS

Kent, the BHZwas evaluated by the
RoyalNavy from 1970 until 1985 in
both combat and logistic support
roles, but the funds for this important
workranoutin 1985.

Below: The Mk 5 is capable of 58 kts

and can carry four Exocet surface-to-
surface missiles. The Iranians have
made great use of their logistic
support version, which can carry up
to 170 fully-equipped troops.

2366
>K VtZ air-cushion vehicle
The Vosper Thornycroft VT2 hover-
crait was extensively tested by the
Royal Nary from the mid- 1970s until
1982 when the Hovercraft Trials Unit
(HTU)wasdisbandedaspartofexten- communications outfit compatible
srve defence cuts, Used origdnally in
the logistrc support role the prototype
VT2-001 (P234) was modifled in 1978 to
carry palletized carqo from ships lyinq
ofishore to a beach-head. The mod-
-r-callons rncluded lLe firtrng of a load
.:.o hatch in the ma-n sLpersrructLre
: on
. r ard rhe laying of roller tracking
-he deck l:elow rhe harch lor the move-
:r.. ':.1 of rhe cargo around rhe enclosed
ieck area Afler several successful
>K Hm*" series air-cushion vehicles
Modern Military Hovercraft
trials, the prototype was further rebuill system and a 5.4 m (17.7-ft) long Sea the Royal Nalry and other armed ser-
to investiqate lts operational capabrli- Rider workboat. Again the craft vices has been reduced to the barest
ties in the MCM support role, This re- proved highly successful, especially in minimum so that the forces can say that
quired the fltting of an electronic and the towrng of vanous types of sweep- interesl rs still oerng snown
in ing gear and rn shock trials, in which it
allrespectstothatofthecontemporary proved almost inr,ulnerable to under- Specification
'Hunt class MCM vessel an Atlas 5002 water explostons near or practically vT2
hydraulic crane, a larqer roof hatch beneath the hull to simulate the de- Dimensions: ienqth 30 18 m (99,0 ft);
and rmproved rnternal carqo-handling tonation of various seamine types. De- beam 13.3 m (43.6 ft)
.. spite this and the success of the other Propulsion: two 4 250-shp (3169-kW)
hovercraft types used to test various qas turbrnes driving four hft fans and
, roles the VT2 was sold to commercral two variable pitch ducted drive fans
I
concerns following the demrse of the Weights:maximum 108 tons; payload
3l 4 tons
1 HTU, and the use of hovercraft within
# Speed:60/70 kts
*l;, TheVTZ proved an enormous Electronics: one navigation radar
successrn theMCM(Mine
Countermeasures) rcle, but the
Hovercraft Trials Unit was
disbanded in ffte disasfrous defence
cuts made by the Government in
19B2.The RoyalNavy now shows only
." token mteresf in a mmesweeper
:- - .. invulnerableromostmines.
The Skima series of small air-cushion
vehicles are based on the original
Grifton designs now being
manufactured byVosper
Hovermarine. The smallest of these
craft can be transported on the back
of a pick-up truck, and has been
evaluated both in the UK and USA.
Weiqhts:empty 225 kq (495 lb)r
payload see text
Speed:30 kts
Specification
Skima6
Dimensions: ienqth6, 19 m (20 31 ft);
bean2 62 m (B 6 ft)
Propulsion: one 60-hp (44.7-kW) petrol
or diesel enqine drivinqra single lift
and two propulsion propellers
Weights: empty 670 kg ( 1 474 lb);
payload see text
Speed:30 kts
Specification
Skima 12
Dlmensions: lenqth 7.77 m (25 5 ft);
beam3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Propulsion: one 250-hp (186-kW)
petrol or diesel engine drivinq a single
lift and propulsion propeller
Weights: empty 990 kg (2 178 lb);
payload see text
Speed:35 kts
Electronics: one navigatron radar
The various Skima ACYs keep down
their weight and reduce overall cost
by inc orpo r ating infl ata ble
sttuctutes into the basic design. This
alsogives improved buoyancy and
stability, and endows them with
impres sive obstacle- crossing ability.
il Et r"n"olan wingr-in-ground effect machines
Since 1965 the Soviets have been ex-
perrmentrng in the Caspian Sea area
with what has become known as the
Ekranoplan or 'Caspran Sea Monster',
This machine has a potential speed of
300 kts km/h; 346 mph) or more,
(556
and operates at a height ofbetween 3 5
to i4m (115 to 46 ft) above water,
marshland or other such terrarn. Wrth a
main hull like that of a wide-body air-
liner, the Ekranoplan can carry a which flight can be sustarned is estab-
payload of over 90 tons, or some 900
fully-equipped troops or Naval Infan-
try. Its propuision system compnses
eiqht marinized gas turbines mounted
above a forward stub wingr and two
propulsion turbines aft installed at the
base of a dihedral tailplane. The mode
ol operaLron ts that all tle engines ore
LSed to start The Ekranoplan movinq
whilst the machine is in contact with
Lhe warer: lhe Iorward engr-tes are
ffLu"a' class air-cushion vehicle
The NATO reporting named'Lebed'
class multr-duty surface-effect landing
craft was first seen in prototype form in
1973 and entered series production in
1976-7, Used as amphrbious initial
assault landing and Iogristics-over-the-
shore (LOTS), 'Lebeds' are normally
carried tn pairs by the 'lvan Rogov
class LPDs rn their stern weil decks,
For an assault the 'Lebeds' wouid be
preloaded before embarking. The de-
siqn is an origrnal Soviet one, and Ls
thought to have been undertaken by
the Soviet narry's High-Speed Ship De-
sign Bureau rn Leningrad, Eighteen
'Lebeds' are rn service, with some
three or four more in varying states of
completion 'lrebeds' are now found
wrth the Baltrc, Black Sea and Pacific
Fleets as weil as aboard the LPDs. A
bow ramp is provided for vehicle Ioad-
ing and unloading, whrlst personnel
can use doors located aft Typical
payloads include two PT-76 iight
amphibrous tanks, two BTR-60/70/
BMP-1/2 APCs two loaded trucks up to
a total weight of 34.38 tons, 120 Naval
Infantry or some 40 tons of supp[es.
In 1982 the prototype of what rs ex-
pected to be the 'Lebed'successor
the lO0{on 'Tsaplya class, was seen
efr
2668
then directed downwards so that therr
exhausts create an arr-cushion effect
under the vehicle's main wrnq. The
growing lift then raises the vehicle
clear of the water so that the forward
engines can be reonentated to direct
their blast back over the upper surface
of the wing to estabhsh additional lift
and so rapidly increase the forward
motion untri the cruising speed at
lished. By flying in and out of this
ground-effect cushion the Ekranoplan
can clear shipping shorehnes and
other obstructions as required Such a
capability is particularly useful to the
Soviet nalry for amphibrous assault and
logristic support duties as this type of
vehicle effectrvely overcomes the
problems of sea conditions, tidal cur-
rents, underwater obstacles, and de-
fensive sea and land minefields by
This is now beheved to be entenng
series production on lne construclior
line that was used for the 'Lebed' class.
Specification
'Lebed'class
Dimensions: lenqth24,B m (81 4 ft);
beam i0.B m (35.4 ft)
Propulsion: three 3 600-shp (2684-kW)
gas turbines drivrngr four lift fans and
two propellers
Weights: maximum BS tonsj payload
see text
Speed: 70 kts (60/65 kts normal)
flying over them,
A smaller Turboprop Ekranoplan rs
also under test, Based on the 'sea
monster' concept, this has improved
aerodynamic shape and the rear-
mounted gas turbines replaced by a
single 15,000'shp (11184-kW) turbo-
prop. The forward engines are also
replaced by two internally-mounted
gas turbines to provide the power aug-
mentation for take-off and the initial lift
The newvariant has also been used for
amphibious assault trials with a swing-
nose arrangement to allow for the car-
riage of vehrcles and outsized loads. A
missrie attack variant (with two singTle
underwing containerlaunchers for SS-
N-22 anti-ship crurse mtssiles) has also
been seen, although no production de-
ctsion on any Ekranoplan version rs
believed yet to have been taken
Armament: one ADMGO 30 sx-barrel
CIWS mountrng on forward quarter of
the starboard superstructure
Electronics: one navigation radar and
one 'High Pole-B IFF sysrem
The cockpit of the 'Lebed' is on the
port side of the craft, balanced by a assauilsfups.
turret-mounted ADMG 30 -mm
r em ote - controlle d G atling- type
cannon to the starboard. Typical
payloads would include two PT-76
lighttanks or twoBMP infantry
combatvehicles, or up to 35 tons of
treight.
Specifi cation (provisional)
Ekranoplan
Dimensions:span40 0 m(131.23 ft);
lensth 91,4 m (300.0 ft)
Propulsion: 10 gas turbines
Weights: maximum 307,4 tons; payload
Speed:300 kts
Specification
Turboprop Ekranoplan
Dimensions: span 30 5 m (100.0 ft);
length 60 9 m (200.0 ft)
Propulsion: one i5 000-shp (11184-kW)
turboprop and two gas turbines
Weights: maximum 216 tons; payload
59 tons ofcargo or 500 troops
Speed:280 kts
Armament:see text
Mounted on the deckof aSoviet
transport vessel, the'Lebed' class of
ampfirbrous assault hovercraft is
somewhat smaller than the
American LCAC or the BritishVosper
W2. The class has been designed to
operate out of the docking wells of
' I van Rogov' class amphibious
a
iJ
ll;1f=
il ii]Lr' class air-cushion vehicle
Developed from the 50 seater Skate
class amphibious passengter ferry
ACV t-e 'Gus class log sl c supporr
ACV was tested rn prototype form from
1969 onwards, series production of 36
craft takinq place between 1970 and
l9B2 at a steady rate of two or three
units per year. Deployed by all four
Sovret fleets (the Northern, Baltic
Black Sea and Paciflc), the Gus can
carry either a lull Naval Infantry pla
ioon of 25 men or several tons of sup-
plies It is used extensrvely for river
patrol, special forces small-unit troop
.nseTlrons, beach-head reconna ss-
ance, and amphibrous assauit and
loctstic missions. For the last, the 'lvan
P.ogtov' class LPDs can each carry
:l.uee 'Gus' class ACVs in place of the
rlB
I ,'.
.. ;'
fiL* Soviet air-cushion vehicles
-
In the early l980s two new Sovret naval
ACV prototypes were sighted by
NATO reconnaissance units. The flrst
named the'Tsaplya'class by NATO, is
:houqht to be the successor to the
i,ebed class which is about to end its
croductron run. -t is srmilar rn slze, con-
iguration and performance to the Brit
sh BH7 Mk 4 and incorporates a bow
Coor and central load weli Desrgned
-or use aboard the 'lvan Rogtov' class
-PDs and their successors the craft
can carry one PT-76 light amphibious
rark and B0 Naval Infantry, 160 Naval
Lriantry, or some 25 tons ofcargo The
second design, named the 'Utenok'
il iHist' class air-cushion vehicle
Built at the Leninqrrad Shipyards, the
aLr-cushion vehicle known to NATO as
he'Aist'class is the Sovrets'frrst large
ACV design, and while similar rn
Eeneral appearance to the British
SR.N4 Mk 2 'Mountbatten class is
nuch heavier. The prototype was
iaunched in i970 and foilowing exten-
s-ve testing the class entered series
productron in 1975, Since then several
';ariants have been built, these differ-
ing in f,n herght, overall length, super-
structure detail and armament con-
rlguration. Some 17 'Aisls' are in ser-
\'1ce atpresent and more are being
bullt. Used as an amphrbious assault
arid logistic supply ACV, the 'Aist' can
deliver Naval Infantry, armoured vehi-
cles and supplies to beach-heads
',vhich can be well inland. Only two of
the Soviet fleets (the Baltic and Black
Sea Fleets) deploy the 'Aists, the for-
mer havinq its units extensively photo-
graphed by NATO aircralt and ships
Curirg Warsaw Pact landing exer-
cises. Largte bow and stern loadinqt
:'amps provide througn-shrp opera-
two 'Lebed class ACVs and
'Ondatra' class LCM usually
embarked Some sx or so of the 36
umts were completed with two pilot
posittons and have been rssued to the
'Gus class ACV battalions of the fleets
as operational conv^.rsron ralners
There has also been at least one furth-
er denvative of the desiqn with twin
ducted propellers but thrs rs beheved
not to have progressed beyond the
prototype staqe It is likely that the
long term successor of the 'Gus'wiil be
a much larger ACV whose flrst pro-
totype is due soon
class, is slightly longer but smaller
overall, and appears to be desiqtned to
carry one T-54/55/62/7474 MBT as its
primary payload. With two 'Utenoks'
currently undergorngt extensive test-
ing along wiht the srngle 'Tsaplya, it is
possible that both desrgns are actually
complementary to one another with
the aim that the 'lvan Rogov' class LPDs
will eventually have the ability to deliv-
er MBTs beyond the water line of
beach-head rather than relyinq on the
more conventional 'Ondatra' class
LCM carrred at present. 1l thrs assump-
tion is correct, rt is probable that the
LPDs will be carrying mxed loads of
tions, and typrcal payloads for the craft
are two MBTs of the T 54/T-55/T-62/T-
72 or T-74lype, four PT-76 light amphi-
brous tanks and 50 Naval Infantry,
three BTR-60/7A/BMP-I/2 APCs and
100 Naval lnfantry, four trucks and
Naval Infantry 220 Navai Infantry or up
to 50 or 60 tons of supplies.
Specification
'Aist'class
Dimensions: length 47 B m (156.8 ft);
beam 17,5 m (57,4 ft)
Propulsion: two 24,000-shp (17894-kW)
gas turbines drivinqr four hft fans and
four propellers
Weights: maximum 270 tons payload
see text
Speed:80 kts (60/65 kts normal)
Armament:two twin 30-mm turrets
over the bow
Electronics: one 'Spin Trough
naviqation radar, one 'Drum Tilt' flre
control radar one 'Hrgh Pole-B' IFF
system, andone 'Square Head' IFF
system
Modern Military Hovercraft
one Specification The'Gus' class logistic support ACV
'Gus'class is roughly equivalent to the British
Dimensions: length 21.33 m (70,0 ft); SR.N6, although used by theSoviets
beam 7. I m (23.3 ft) in combat roles much more than
Propulsion: three 780-shp (582 kW) those in thewest. Used extensively
gas turbines dnvinqrone lift fan and two bySoviet naval infantry on river
propellers patrol, small-unit insertions and
Weights: maxtmum 26,7 tons; payload assaujts, lft e cJass seryes with all
see text Sovietfleets. .i
Speed: 60 kts (40 kts normai) :1
Armament: small arms and LMGs
Electronics: one navigatron radar, and
fttEl
t
]$i
one 'High Pole-B IFF system ...l:fl
*s
'Lebeds' and 'Utenoks, or 'Lebeds or
'Tsaplya', or'Tsaplya and'Utenoks' by
navigation radar and one High Pole-B
IFF system
the end of the l980s the actual mtx
depending upon the operation to be Specifi cation (provisional)
mounted. 'Utenok'class
Dimensions: lenqth 26.3 m (86.3 ft);
Specifi cation (provrsional) beam 13.0 m(42.7 ft)
'Tsaplya'class Propulsion: not known
Dimensions: Ienqth24.0 m (78,75 ft; Weights: maximum B0 tons; payload
beam140m(459ft) see text
a Propulsion: not known Speed:65 kts
Weights:maxtmum 100 tons; payload Armament:two 30-mm twin turrets
see text Electronics: one 'Spin Trough'
Speed:65 kts navigation radar and one 'High Pole-B
Armament: two 30-mm twin turets TrE ^,,^+^-
Electronics: one 'Spin Trough'
100
Seenoperatingwith MilMi-8'Hip'helicopters off the Baltic coast of the
German Democratic Republic, the Leningrad-built 'Aist' class large
amphibious ACY is about the same size as the 'Mountbatten' class used on the
English Channel, although giving the impression of being more rugged.
2669
Aist' class air-cushion vehicle (continued)

ft
 Modern Military Hovercraft

,-"w,1

USSR Aist'Class
lcrge Naval Air-cushion Vehicle
In servicewith the BlackSea and Baltic Fleets of the Soviet navy, the'Aist' class
has been in production since J975 at a rate of approximately two completior.s
peryear. Atypical load duringoperations on theBaiticwould be twoT-72
MBTs and two platoons (60 men) of anavalinfantry company. Armament
comprises two twin 30-mm DP turrets together with an associated 'Drum TiJt'
AA fire control radar.

'Aist'class hovercraft are drivenby twin marinizedNK-: *is' _=-:*-;_:=i

originally developed by Kuznetsov to power the Tu-35 'Ber- bc.=-bc-: -i;:-::
models had the engine air intake at the mouth of a long dorsa-:,:::.=- --
here, but this was later eliminated. "--*.:
I'lekong I'lonsters
The Mekong Delta is the'rice bowl'of
Vietnam. W ith five thou s and squ are
miles of paddyfields andwaterways, it is
a tortuous area to navigate in both
vehicles and ships, but it proved no
obstacle for hovercraft.

During the Vietnam War one of the major areas

of concern to the US armed forces was the
Mekong delta, a largJe area to the southwest of
the capital Saigon, .fhrs region contains over
3900 km (2 425 miles) of navigable waterways
oi which some 1290 km (800 miies) are canals
with a mean water depth of 2 m (6.6 ft) at low
tide and the remainder natural or improvised
waterways spreading out from the Mekong,
Vaiso, Dong Nar and Saigon rivers. l'he 13000-
km' (5,020 sq mile) alluvral basrn whrch iorms
the delta is bordered to the north by the poorly
drained and low-fertilitv Plam oI Reeds with
some 5300 km (2 045 sq mrles) oi its TOOO-km
(2 700-sq mile) total area actually wlthin the
borders of South Vietnam. What was important,
however, was that the delta was consrdered to
be the 'rice bowl' of Indochina with an atten-
dant high concentration of population in
numerous hamlets and few real towns,
This made the delta a primary ob;ective for
the North Vietnamese and local Vietconq both
as a major food source and as a recruiting and
base camp area. The network of waterways
was ideal for supplying guerrilla units and for
transporting war materials from Cambodian
sanctuary areas to the vrcrnity of Saigon and
some of the towns near it
Inshore surveillance
In September 1965 Operation'Game War-
den' was initiated, the flrst US Navy unrts
assigned to it becoming operational in Febru- PBR Mk L Thrs was rapidly followed into ser- The crew of aPatrolAir CushionVehicle(PACV)
ary 1966, Their assigned mission was the provi- vice by an enlarged version, the PBR Mk 2, rnspect a samp an forViet Cong supplies while
sion of inshore surveillance and dayhght pat- However, it was soon realized that the PBRs another PACV stands by. One disadvantage of the
rols aiong the major waterways to reduce to a were too valuable an asset to commit to the craft as an offshore patrolvessel was that in order
to stop and search it had to deflate its air cushion,
minimum the Vietcong infrltration and supply remoter parts of the delta, and surveillance of leaving itvulnerable.
operations by junk, Later, as the unitsQained in these areas was left to overflights by helicop-
experience they were also used to undertake ters and irregular patrols by South Vietnamese
lengthy night patrols, to support ihe Viet- troops in navy assault boats, Not daunted by Americanized version of the Brrtish SR,N5 de-
namese River Force in its operations and to thrs, the US Navy began looking at other forms sign, Accordingly three such vehicles, desrg-
insert and extract 6/10-man SEAL reconnaiss- of transportation, amonq which was the air- nated Patrol Air Cushion Vehicles (PACV)-l to
ance and raiding parties in communist base cushion vehicle, Of these the most'promising 3, were dehvered late in 1965, and over the
camp areas. The craft used first was a modified appeared to be the Beli Aerosystems SK-S next four years they were twice deployed to
commercial sports boat design destgnated the Model 7255, an 8.5-ton 118-rn:(3875-ft) lonq South Vietnam for testing, In the coastal and

Disappointing as coastal patrol craft, the

hovercraft proved a great success when deployed
to the Plain ofReeds, particularly during the
rnonsoon sea,son when the weather often
prohibited helicopter operations.

2672
 Modern Military Hovercra ft

.::i!i!:::::=:-:i.:i_:-;*ri:rri..$1{...-: ::::..

.1,!ter their combat debut in Operation'QuaiVat'
' monster' inVietnamese), the PACVs adopted the
:all sign'Monster' and their crews adorned them
.'t ith this ferocious slark's-mo uth des iqn.
= rr*
tron two single 7.62 mm (0,3-rn) machrne-guns coastai'patrol craft Once thrs i:,: , : : -
on each srde of the cabrn in amidshrps window cro'i, ca led Horor I 3 wer: c= :
positions, two 40-mm grenade-launchers and In addition to the PACVs il= , i .,
the various prstols sub-machine guns and auto- -S Mar,ne Corps also e'.a .. - : ...'- ..
matLc rifles of the embarked personnel The 1960s and early 1970s l0 Chr.,-s,:: I - - ,

unfortunaie thing was that when searching a Riverine Utility Craft (RUC), rh:..= :,- :
,-shore patrol roles they were found to be suspectlunk the PACVs had to come alongside was based on the marsh (rr . - . .
.iequate in terms of mobility, but also much and deflate their skirts rn order to marntain screw concept (two propelhn;r : . :- -:=:.
:: noisy and requrrrng considerable mainte- positron Followlng their return from Vietnam wr h h^lic"l /anes mo*n.- - --. .

..-rce to retain operational status lor long in May 1969 they wete transferred to the US underside on the fore-and a,: ..-,,-. '-
::riods. Coasi Guard durlng October ol the same year, 20I long625 lonpero e :.
and underwent an overhaul in 1970 belore ''l o\o otar deep s"ramp-
--- - ..
In-country success startrng a perrod ol evaluation as unarmed Cres as well as water or Cr. -:.: i .-

Despite this inrtial disappointment it was

:.:n found that the craft were highly successful il ;, ;lT\qiii6$qff$&ilirtr;;rrra, :.
'.':en moved in-country to the remote marshy . -*,{.,rrir ,rr,,1,: .r,i*Fi

.::as ol the Plarn of Reeds, especially during

:-: -,vel season when weather conditions sev
=::1y limrted aerial activity Operating usually
,:. -cairs or as a trio (and occasionally as single-
,:-s) the PACVs could travel at speeds of up to
, :r 60 kts wrth a crew of three pius 2 tons of
.-r:ohes or up to J.7 passengers. Apart from
:--:rr use as high speed transports and cargo
,::ners the PACVs were also used as patrol
r-it for whrch a high-definition surlace-
.::rch/navrgtatron radar was fitted.. The arma
-:nt varied, although lor the flnal 1968-9 de-
:-"-ment 1t vras ofhcially flxed at a twin 12 7-
,:: (0.5 rn) calibre heavy machine-gun mount-
=:
:n the cabin roof just aft of the prlot's posi

)peration'QuaiVat' in progress, 2l November

capturedViet Cong Euerrilla is taken
. :66: a
:baard by US Navy personnel near Moc Hoa in the
.:.ajn ofReeds. Seventy sampans and a similar
:.:rr'ber of dwellings were destroyed, with I )
::jsoners laken and 23 enemy KIA. ,Sr r,. i ij'19lrliill,llfitlrtili,,it,r,rrl
Mekong Monsters
significantly hmited in the herght of obstacles
they could climb. A maxrmum ground speed of
I0 to 12 kts was possible, though in water thrs
was reduced somewhat, The payload was
etther I ton of supplies or six fuily-equrpped
troops in addition to its crew of two enlisted
men. If required, an armament of one 7.62-mm
mediurn machine-gun and one 4O-mm gre-
nade-launcher could be mounted lor use
alongside the crew's and passenQrers' own per-
sonnel weapons. In ihis confignrration it was
possible to mount limited offensive actrons,
No further development
Surprisingly, throughout the Vretnam War
the ACV remained an experimental craft, and
after the type's retirement ln 1969 ACVs were
not developed further even though the ques
tron of therr relative usefulness rn comparison
qrrth helicopters had not been answered in fu]],
In many quarters it was felt that coastal patrol Above:The three PatrolAir CushionVehicles skim over land and sea alike. They proved able tomove at
roles could be adequately covered by the speed through vegetation two metres high and clear ditches up to four metres across, much to the
readily-avallable helicopter wlthout any signi' discomfitureof theVietCong,whohaddominated thePlainof Reedsfor manyyears.
licant loss in operational efflciency.
The usefulness of ACVs (especially in logis-
trcal roles) was not forgotten, however, and
during the 1970s the ACV was resurrected in
the form of the IEFF(A) and IEFF(B) prototypes
lor use as landing craft, For the other answers rt
remains to be seen what the Soviets and
Chinese can do, for these are now the largest
users of military hovercraft in the world. As
such they will not stand by and let a new con-
cept in warfare stagnate, but will strive to ex-
plore all lts possrbilitres rf only to justify the
iarge amounts of money and effort they have
expended rn developrng the technology.

Below: The PACVs roar beneath the bridge atAn
Long en route for Cat Lo after the action in the Plain
o.fReeds. The PACYs gave a creditable
performance, but their price tagwas against them;
each one cost nearly $lm and their running costs
werephenomenal.
Above: A PACV kicks up a dramatic cloud of mud
and spray as itmanoeuvres across a marsh near
the Cambodian border in search of the elusiveViet
Cong. The single 0.50-cal machine-gun seen here
was soon supplemented by0.3-calweapons and
4 0 - mm gre n ad e J au nc h er s.
Above: The original PACVswerewithdrawn in
1969, but Bell built three hovercraft to a IJS Army
specification and flew them tovietnam for combat
evaluation. This machine operated with the 9th
Infantry Division in the summer of 1968. Note the
s/ab sides, which distinguish it trom the PACYs.
 USA

Bell Model7467 LACV-3O

The LACV-30 (Liqhter Air-Cushion Specification two propeilers

Vehicle 3O-short ton payload) is a LACV30 Weights: maximum 5 l, 34 tonsj payload The Bell Aerospace Canada Texton
slretched version of Bell Aerospace Dimensions: Iength 23.32 m (76,5 ft); see text Voyageur heavy-haulage ACY was
Textron's Voyageur civilian model. A beam I 1.18 m (36,7 ft) Speed:33,5 ks (normal) developed in I 97 I , and was used as
:3tal of 24 of these vehicles (company Propulsion: two I 800-shp (1342-kW) Electronics: one navigation radar the basis for development of the US
iesignation Bell Model 7476) is in the gas turbines driving two lift fans and Army'SLACV-31.
-Drocess of being dellered to replace
:re wheeled LARC-5 and LARC-]S
irighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo
5 and 15{on) models currently in ser-
-.rce with the US Army's light and
redium amphibian companies. The
::ew craft will be used as high-speed
:rnphibious vehicles for LOTS (Liqht-
:r-Over-The-Shore) operations where
:,c port facilities exist. The LACV-3O
:al lrave] over water, land, snow ice,
::a-rshes, swamps, low brush and other
snall obstacles or through 2.44-m (B{t)
::qrh surf carrying a variety of contain-
:rized cargo, wheeled or tracked
-;elLrcles, heavy engineeringr plant or
:ter supp[es such as fue] and water
:trntainers, It can be carried fully
=ssembled on a ship, be launched by
:e crew and be fully operatronal with-
-:- several hours or, altenatively, it can
:e broken down into 15 sectrons for
:.-.nage by truck, rail or aircraft and
--:en reassembled at its destination, In
.-:e srmple drive-on/drive-off role us-
:-9r rts bow ramp the craft can carry the
:---axrmum load of 30 tons with an en-
r-Jance of 2 hours. Il however tt is
-ed as a self-unloading platform for
-rcplies via its swing crane in the Below:The LACY-3j is much more Below: Operable over an enormous Above : T he first of 30 MCV 4As was
::'"./s the load is reduced to 26.5 tons efficient than previous LOTS (Lighter variety of terrains from the Arctic to delivered to MERADCOM ( the US
,:-::-rgh endurance remains the same Over The Shore)s/stems, and will the tropics, the LACY-3O can ensure Army's M obility E quipmen t
l--:er roles (such as medical evacua- eventually replace the LARC-5 and dry landingot thewiderange of Research and Development
:::. troop transport and water or fuel LARC - I 5 amphibious vehicles carg oes c ar rie d. T h es e can inclu de Command) in J,981. Unlike the sa=e
::supply) give greater endurance, currently in sewice. Secondary roles ISO containers, tracked and wheeled company's LCAC, the MCY is noi e:
::::es of between 5 and t hours being could include coastal, harbour and vehicles, eng ineer ing eq uipme nt, assault craft butrs desi'gmed fo,ir€
;:ssible depending upon the actual riverine patrol, search and tescue pallets and barrels, water, fuel, fire- used solely for the transpofiatic: s:
;a-.1oad figmre. and fire control. fighting equipment or troops. goods from ship to shorc.

_a-:
f,

A
€ i,anAir,g Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)
The Bell Aerospace Textron LCAC is formance. Typical loads rnclude a 52-
the definitive production version ofthe ton M60Al MBT with five loaded jeeps
IEFF(B) amphrbious assault landing or a complete howrtzer battery of six
craft that was tested alongside the i05-mm/155-mm (4. 13-ir/6. 1-in) gnrns
Aerojet-Generai IEFF(A) prototype and their loaded truck tractors and
for over five years by the US Navy. crews. The LCAC is fully skirted and
Incorporating the best attributes of can clear land obstacles up to 1 22 m
both, 107 LCACs were to have been (4 ft) hiqh Bow and stem ramps are
built, but this has been cut to about 90, fitted to allow ease of loading and un-
of which some 45 are to be based at the Ioadrng.
Ltttle Creek Naval Amphibious Base,
Virginia for the Atlantic Fleet and the
remainrng 45 at the US Marine Corps Specification
base at Camp Pendleton, California for LCAC
the Pacifrc Fleet The LCACs are Dimensions: len glh 26.82 m (BB. O ft);
being deployed in units of six to amphr beam 14.33 m (47.0 ft)
bious squadrons (PHIBRONS) and will Propulsion: four 3, 070-shp (2289-kW)
be carried by the LHA, LPD, LHD and gas turbines drivingr four hft fans and
LSD classes (one, two, three and four two propellers
craft respectively) to the disembarka- Weights: maximum 170 tons; payioad
tion pornts. The open cargo deck area see text
is 168.06m (l B09sq t-) in area and Speed: 50 kts. or 40 kts witn maximum
capable of accommodatinq 60 tons of payload
cargo under normal condrtions or up to Armament: smallarms
75 tons in the maximum overload state Electronics: one surface-search/
with a consequent decrease i.
per- navigatron radar

The firstproductionLCAC enters thewelldeck of U,S,S Pensacola(LSD 38) Above: Operating off the coast of
during the first underway mating of an LCAC and an LSD. The LCAC carries Florida, the Bell Aerospace Textron
an M60 MBT, anMl5l Jeep and anLAV-25 LightArmoredVehicle. AALC (Am p hibiou s As s au I t L anding
C raft) J EFF (B ) approaches the
Below:With a range of 300 nautical d oc king we Il of the Landing S hip
miles (approximately 550 km) at a Dock U.SS Spiegel Grove. The JEFF(B)
speed of35 kls , the LCAC can ferry formed the prototype for the tJS
large loads fastfrom vessels Navy'snewLCAC.
standingwell out to sea and can
d carry those loads (more than 60 tons, Right : J EFF(B ) underway off the coas t
ri
which could include an MBT and of F lorida early in I I 84, with a cargo
dl light vehicles, or a full artillery including an M60 MBT and two i'55-
battery) safely inland- mm howitzers" The LCAC
programmewillgive theUS Navy the
#
capacity to land at high speed US I
Marine units with their heavy u

equipment, while standing some *,r

distance off the coast.
t

i'
tfr
 lvlcrine Corps Assaufi
As aresultof the Pacific campaigns of
WorldWar II, the USAhas an
unpar alle led amphibious w arfare
capacity. That capability is about to be
dramatically enhanced with the
introduction of the LCAC.
.wo incidents durrng Operation 'Fury the
lctober l9B3 actron against the Provrsional Re
',-olutionary Government of Grenada and its
Juban allies, showed yet again to the US Navy
,visdom of havrng LCAC (Landlng Craft Arr
Cushion) vehicles as part of its future amphr-
bious warfare fleet, On the night of lhe 24125
October several groups of US Navy SEAL (Sea,
Air and Land) special forces troops landed
irom rubber rardrng craft on the north eastern
coast of Grenada to reconnoitre the beaches
near Pearls Airport (and its defences) for an
assault by one US Marine company rn amphi-
brous tractors and two others aboard helicop
:ers during the following day, The SEALs dis-
:overed that around the beaches were reefs
.hat made impossible the use of landing craft to
oring the heavy equipment ashore and also in
all probabrlity, the approach ol infantry laden
emtracs. Once this was reported back the re-
-.-elatron forced the task force commanders to
:ancel the beach assault and rely instead total
-;r on the success of the heliborne assault by
: ruo marine companies on the atrfreld and the
::wn of Grenville to the south to attain the US
i{avy's ob;ectrves, Luckrly, this force met llttle
:esistance and both the targets were secured
: y early morning wiLhorL casuall-es, Whrlst thrs
r:rack and the Ranger airborne assault (lo 'he
south at the Poinl Salines airfield) went jn, a
t warfare, the US Marines have become specjafisfs
$
fr
ffi
number of special forces operations were bled ashore the combined force moved on :,-
berng conducted, One involved the rescue by reiieve Government House at 07,00, mee:ii:
22 SEALs of the island's Britrsh appornted gov lrttle resistance on the way save lrom a BRDN: _
ernor from his offlcial residence on the out- armoured car which was demohshed ]:i-
=
skirts of the capital, St George's, As a result of round lrom one oi the lanks,
the unexpected strength and reaction of the
delending forces the SEALs were surrounded
in the house and became a priority problem to
the Joint Task Force 120 commander, Admiral
Metcall Initral aid in the form of close air sup
port from a US Air Force Lockheed AC-130H
Spectre gmnship and two US Marrne Corps Bell
AH-1T SeaCobra helicopters resulted in both
of the latter being shot down by AA fire, thiee
out of their four crew beinq kilted,,rA.subse
quent ground attack on the house by People's
Revolutionary Army (PRA) troops led by three
BTR-60 APCs was then beaten off by return fire
from the SEALs and the AC-130H, whrch des
troyed one of the BTRs and stopped the other
two with fire from its heavy weapons, This,
together with a follow-up strike on the AA posi,
tions 1n the area by US Navy Vought A 7 Cor-
sair IIs, was sufficient to effect a stalemate situa
tion overnight, A rescue operatron was then
mounted, the amphrbious warfare ships not
used rn the Pearls Airport operation being sent
around the top of the island nearer to the capit-
ai, In the meantime in the early hours of the
mornrng a marine company was helicoptered
across the island to a landing zone by Grand
Mal Bay just to the north of St George's, Here it
met a second company that had made an
amphibious assault on the beach from 13
LVTP-7s launched from the LST USS Manito-
woc. Heavy equrpment (in the form of flve
M60Al MBTs) was also landed by landing craft
from the LSD USS Fort Snelling. Once assem-
Since the large-scale adoption of the helicopter in
inthe art of Yertical Envelopment' - large-scale
:}eftboine assa alts - as a result of the inability oI
conventional landing craft to use 83 per cent ofthe
,world's beaches. The adoption af the LCAC has
dropped that figare to 30 per cent; which means
that the heliborne riflemen can make.their assault
: in the larcwledge that their heavy support is much
more likely to be there when they need it.
f
'+
Marine Corps Assault

Above: Helicopters have
revoltptionized w afi are. but remain
extremely vu Iner able to determined
opposition. In the IJS operation to
take G renada, numbers of U H -60
B lack H awks and AH - I s were shot
downbyCubans.
Above: The Grenada operation proved once more
the difficulty in attac king vigorous Ly- defended
positions, with the lightly-armed People's
Revolutionary Army and theirCuban advisers
putting up stiff resistance against overwhelming
US power.

Left: To the SEALs trapped in the

G overnor's house, S oviet- built BTR-
60 APCs were a real threat, but had
LCACs been available the original
beach landingwould have gone
ahead, and the rescue mission would
have had M60 tankswith itall the
way.

,-,if
.,:,r ll
 Modern Military Hovercraft
These episodes showed to the US Navy that
jre presence of a few LCACs aboard the land-
:g shrps would have allowed the landing on
-r day at the beach near Pearls Airport to con
:-nue without hindrance from the reef obsta-
:1es, with considerable tactical surprise to the
jefenders as they obviously thought such an
:peration impracticable. In addrtion, the range
and speed of the new craft would also have
ailowed the rescue landing to take place much
inore quickly and without the need to move the
-anding ships too far from their original posi-
:ron, The added bonus would have been that
heavy equipment such as tanks could also have
been taken ashore by the LCACs at the same
.rme, In fact the LCAC by virtue of its inde-
endence oftidal and hydrographic conditions
ras increased the percentage of the world's
beaches available to amphibious landings from
7 to 70 per cent. The LCAC's advantages in
payload, speed, range, surprise elfect and
-cross-ihe-beach capabrlity will also allow 50
per cent more tonnagte of combat equipment
-nd supplies to be delivered rn a given time
,-, hen compared with conventional hull-type

-anding craft, This is even more remarkable

','.-hen it is realized that the latter are operating
:om vessels in a hrghly vulnerable position but
,:ss than 1O km (6 2 miles) offshore, whereas Above: USS Wasp, firct of the new LHD class '*'i;c:
re former would shuttle from vessels relatively will be optimized for LCAC opera trons. is
safely posrtroned up to 50km (more than 31 scheduledfor delivery in 1989. Slightly larger ie:
the'T ar aw a' class, the s e 40,0 0 0 - to n v e s s e I s''o1I
:liies) out to sea, It should also be noted that the replace the muchsmaller'lwoJima'class on a
-CAC wrll be working ln conjunction with a one-for-one basis.
,-ariety of other platforms such as the Srkorsky
lH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter
-ble to carry a l6-ton payload over the same Left: At the heart of the change which is to su;ee;
.nip-to-shore distance, the tilt-rotor Bell MV- through US amphibious capabilify in the nez:
r2A Osprey medium-lift aircraft which is to decade, the air-cushioned landing cralt ma,.",n'e--
be the most significantdevelopmentin the fel=
r}. replace the elderly Boeing-Vertol CH-46 Sea
Kniqrht hehcopter, and the upgraded LVTP-
since the introduction ofthe origina,l assauii
vessels during World War I I .
,Al and new LVT-B amphibious assault
=rmoured personnel carners.
The Osprey is particularly important as a
:crce-builder rn the Amphibious Operationai
,irea (AOA) as it wrll be able to make two
separate 460-lar/h (286-mph) deliveries of 24
:dly equipped marines to a landing zone 48 km
:om the host shrp within 90 minutes and with-
:ut the need to refuel. In addition it is capable
:i self.deploylnent throuEhout the world using
;:ihght-refuelliner ii heeded, With first deliver-
-:s due in 1991 the ultimate fleet goal is 16 give the US Navy and US Marine Corps the
active and two resewe MV-22A squadrons, strategic lift capacity to deliver several Marine
To ensure that the LCACs get to assigned Air-Ground Task Forces (MAGTF) ol brigade
:_OAs, the US Na,,ry has begun procurement of or divisional size simultaneously in several
re Whidbey lsland' orT,SD-41 and the'Wasp' parts of the wcrld,
-r 'LHD-]' dock landing ship classes. By lhe
::::d-1990s this new-bulld effort (plus the con-
;ersion of existing ships to take LCACs) wlll
The revalution in IIS Marine . .

operations is takinE place in stages:

lhe Light Anqared,T,eiicJd a,ndltre:..,,
-
CAC entering seruice now, the ndw
amp hibiou s trac ked ve hicld in the
!1ext few years, the 'Wasp' clAss LHD
n the early I 990s, and fte MV-22 tilt'
lctor aircraft at about the sazne tine
'replacing the venerable CH-46 Sea
Knigh\. TheACY is central to the
:ew style of operations, as the
)'larines think that the vessels oI an
.-ssault force may have to stand off at
.east 40 km (25 miles) from any
:efended shoreline.
 € iilrr SEs-IOOB and SES
n
-Z0o surface-effect test ships
The Bell Aerospace Textron SES-I00B
was part of a long{erm US Nalry prog-
ramme ro develop laroe ocean-gorng
ships with speeds of B0 kts or more for
military uses, Stemming from research
beqnrn in 1960 and the expedmental
17{on XR-l which was completed in
1963 with a top speed of 34 kts, the
92-kt 100{on 23.7-m (77,75-ft) SES-1008
was launched in 1971 and used
toqether with Aerojet-General's SES-
100A 75-kt 11O-ton 24,4-m (80-ft) long
craft through the 1970s to test perform-
ance, stability and sea-keeping char,
actenstics, structural loadinqs and the
various operatronal tasks that a Sur-
face-Effects Ship miqht undertake, ln
April 1976 the SES-1008 travelling at
60 kts successfully fired a vertically-
launched RIM-66B Standard SM-]MR
air-defence missile against a surface
target moored some 9.7km (6 miles)
away. The SES-100A was subsequent-
ly scrapped in l9B2 after the evaluation
had been finished, whilst the SES- 1008
was placed on static display at the
David W, Taylor Naval Research and
Development Center, Annapolis in the
same year, The latest US Navy SES
research vessel is the Bell Halter SES-
200 Model 730A which was modified in
1982 from the Bell Haiter 110 Model
2I0A demonstratlon SES after trials
Above : The original B e II- H alter B H / / 0 SES rs seen bef ore she was acquir ed f or
a joint US Navy/Coast Guard evaluation programme in I 980. After sii months'
Coast Guard appraisal she was handed to the Navy, where she was converted
into the SES-200 by the addition of a 15.24-m (50-ft) hull extension.
,;,
.
-id':al-.
Based at the Patuxent River NavaL Air Station, the SES-200 is a stretched
version of the Bell Halter Model I 10, and has been used in thel}S Navy's
Advanced NavalVehicle Concept Evaluation Effort. It has been sent io Europe
for six months in an attempt to initiate a collaborative alliance project to
develop large, sea-going surface- effect warships.
with the US Coast Guard as the USCG
Dorado (WSES-1), the USCG then
buying three units similar to the origdn-
al, The marn change involved a 15.24-
m (50-ft) insert in the huli in order to
increase the available fuel load and to
allow the US Navy to assess the per-
formance of a higher lenglh-to-beam
ratro, The aft deckinq was also streng-
thened ro allow hehcoprer operations.
The SES-200 was shipped to Europe in
January l986 for an eight-month tech-
mcal demonstration period for various
NATO navres,
Specification
sEs-200
Dimensions: lenqth 48.77 m (160,0 ft);
beam ll,BB m(39.0 ft); draught 1,7to
2.6 m (5,5 to 8.5 ft)
Propulsion: two 1,600-hp( l193-kW)
diesels dnving two propellers and two
445 hp (332-kW) diesels driving hvo
lift fans
Weights: maximum drsplacement 200
tons; payload see text
Speed:32 kts
Armament:none
Aircraft: provtsion for one helicopter The pioneer US Navy surface-effect
Electronics: one sudace-search/ vessel, SES-1008, is seen in April 1976
navigation radar when she launched an SM- l
Complement:13 S tandard surface- to-air missile while
making a steady 60 kts. It was also
the firstvertical launch of the SM-l
from any ship. On 27 J anuary I 980,
SES- I00B set a surface effect vessel
speedrecordof 91.9 kts(170.25 km/
l,05.8 miles) per hour.
Following the successful six-month
trial of the BH 1 I 0, the US Coast
Guard ordered three similar vessels
for use out of Key West, Florida, in the
war againstdrug-smuggling in the
C aribbean and the G ulf of Mexico.
Known as the 'Seabird'class, the
lftree yesse/s are Seahawk (I,VSES-Z),
Shearwater (l,Y,Sg,S-3) and Petrel
(wsES-4).
*#ffi
Armed Forces of the World

$Denmark
In time of war Denmark would have a vital role to
play in the defence of the West as it is situated on
the approaches to the Baltic through which the
Soviet Baltlc Fleet (which is known to have more
than 30 conventional and nuclear submarines, sur-
face craft, many amphibious warfare vessels and
over 20 hovercraft) would have to pass.
Denmark has a population of just over f ive million
and its armed forces have a peacetime strength of
31,000 officers and men of whom 9,800 are con-
scripts doing their nine months' national servlce.
The Danish forces are being modernized, with the
air force recerving the bulk of funds, especially for
the General Dynamics F-1 6 fighter which is being
built in Europe for service also with Norway, Bel-
gium and the Netherlands. The Danish army is,
however, in need of major modernization, especially
in artillery and air defence weapons. The navy has
plans for new submarines and surface craft but, as
wrth a number of NATO countries, there are insuf-
ficient funds to allow all arms to be modernized at
once.
No NATO forces are based in Denmark per-
manently although other NATO countries, including
the Allied Mobile Force, do train in Denmark on a
regular basis. Until 1963 Denmark did not allow any
foreign troops on its soil, including NATO troops, towed howitzers,i'12 203-mm (8-in) M1'1 5 towed HDMS Huitfeld is one of 10'Willemoes' class Fast
howitzers, 72 'l 55-mm M109 series seltpropelled Attack Craft designed by Lurssen and built at
and still does not allow nuclear weapons within the
howitzers and 36 Bofors 40-mm (1.57-in) towed Frederikshavn. Her three Rolls-Royce gas turbines
country. give a maximum speed of 38 kts, and she is armed
antl-arrcraft quns. with eight H arpoon surface-to-surface mrssrTes
The Army Danish Army reserves consist of 6.000 in the and a76-mm/62 (3-in) Compactgan.
The Danish Army has a peacetime strength of Augmentation Force which is subiect to immedrate
about 18,000 officers and men of whom 7.000 are recall, 35,000 in the Field Army Reserve of which
conscripts doing their nine months' national service.
'1
5.000 are in the Covertng Force Reserve (these Thorshavn (in the Faeroes) and Grsnnedal (in Green-
Denmark is dlvided into Western Land Command would bring units up to full strength and also add one land).
which covers Jutland and has three brigades, East- mechanized infantry battalion to each of the five Strength of the Danish Navy includes two 'Narh-
ern Land Command which covers Zealand and has infantry brigades). and a further 20,000 to provide valen' class submarines built in the Royal Dockyard,
two brgades, and Bornholm region which has a combat and logistical support. The Regional De- Copenhagen, between 1965-70 and armed with
battalion of rnf antry plus supporting armour and artil- fence Force has a strength oI 24,000 with 2'1 infan- eight 2'1-in (533-mm) torpedo tubes; and two 'Del
lery. try battalions, two tank battlions, seven artillery finen' class submarines built tn the Royal Dockyard
The Army has two divisional headquarters and is battalions, anti-tank squadrons and support unlts. between 1954-64 armed with eight 21-in torpedo
organized into f ive infantry brigades, each of whlch There is also an Army Home Guard with a strength tubes. Two 'Peder Skram' class frigates commis-
has one tank battalron, two mechanized infantry of 60,000 including 8,000 women. sioned in 1966-67 are armed with eight Harpoon
battalions, one artillery battalion, one air defence surface-to-surface missiles, Sea Sparrow surface-
battery, one englneer company and the usual sup- The Navy to-air missiles, two 5-in (127-mm) guns, four Bofors
port units. There are also five regimenlal combat The Danish Navy has a total strength of 4,500
teams each with two infantry battalions, one artillery regularofficers and men, 1,300 men doing theirnine The Saab MFI- I 7 Supporter is one of the lightest
battalion, one anti-tank group and reconnaissance months' national service and 2.600 civilians. Re- of all current trainer and light attack aircraft,
elements. There is a single Army aviation group with serves include '10,000 for the navy and 5,000 in the having a maximum speed of 235 [an/h ( I 46 mph)'
eight Saab T-'17 light aircraft and '1 2 Hughes 500M naval home guard. The Dlnish air force acquired 32 examples for
light helicopters. Naval headquarters is at Arhus, with additional side-by-sid.e dual training. This machine is one of
lnfantry weapons used include 9-mm (0.35 in) naval bases at Copenhagen, Korssr, Frederikshavn, the eight operated by the army aviation group.
SIG P210, P220 and Browning pistols, 9-mm M49
Hovea sub-machine guns. 7.62-mm (0.3-in) Heckler
and Koch G3 and 7.62-mm Garand (converted from
0.30 calibre) riIles,12.7 mm (0.50 calibre) Browning
-7.62-mm
M2 HB and MG42l59 machine guns; 60-
mm M2, 8'l -mm M/57 and 2O-mm Thomson
'1

Brandt mortars; anti-tank weapons include FFV 84-

mm Carl Gustav, 106-mm M40A1 recoilless rifles,
and Cobra, Dragon and TOW ATGWs. Air defence ls
provided by the General Dynamics Redeye surface-
to-air missile known in Danish service as the Ham-
let.
Armoured vehicles in service include 120 Leopard
1(delivered between 1976 and 1978) and BB Centu-
rion MBTs armed with '1 05-mm (4.13-in) guns, 48
lvl41 light tanks armed with 90 mm guns (3.54-in)
which now fire new ammunition and are to be fitted
with a new powerpack in the future,650 M113
series armoured personnel carriers,68 M106 mor-
tar carriers armed wlth 107-mm \4.2-tn) morIars,24
M59 155-mm (6.1O-in) Long Tom guns, 144 105-
mm M'l 01 towed howitzers,96 Ml14 155-mm
Armed Forces of the World
40=mm (1.57-in) L/60 anti-aircraft guns, depth
charges and anti-submarine torpedoes. Three'Niels
Juel' class frigates commissioned between 1980-
82 are armed with eight Harpoon surface-to-surface
missiles, Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, one
OTO Melara 76-mm (3-in) Compact gun, four torpe-
do tubes for Mk 32 anti-submarine torpedoes and
depth charges. These frigates can also lay mines.
One modified 'Hvidbjornen' class frigate, commis-
sioned in 1976 and strengthened for navigation in
ice, is armed with a single 76-mm gun and can carry
a Westland Lynx helicopter aft. Four 'Hvidbjarnen'
class frigates commissioned in 1962-63 are each
armed with a single 76-mm gun and have a helicop-
ter platform; these can also carry depth charges.
Light forces, well sulted to the Baltic, include 10
'Willemoes' class fast attack craft commissioned
between 1976-78 and armed with one 76-mm Oto
Melara Compact gun, two or four 21-in torpedo
tubes and eight Harpoon surface-to-surface mis-
siles; six 'Solaven' class fast attack craft each have
two or four 21-in torpedo tubes and a single 40-mm
Bofors gun forward. Commissioned between 1965-
67. all of these 'Solsven' class are in reserve (two of
them will be used for spares).
There are also eight 'Daphne' class seaward de-
:ence craft commissioned between '1960-65, of
which four were built with US funds; these are
armed with one 40-mm Bofors glln, flare launchers
and depth charges; there are also three'Agdlek'
class large patrol craft armed with two 20-mm can-
non and used off Greenland; two 'Miigen' class
large patrol craft armed with two 20-mm cannon;
n:ne 'Q' class large patrol craft armed with two
2Gmm cannon; and 28 small coastal craft armed
with a 20-mm cannon or a 12.7-mm machine-gun.
Mine warfare vessels include four 'Falster' class
w :',i.i.j
mrnelayers commissioned between 1963-64, each
of which can lay 400 mines and is armed with four
76-mm guns in twin mounts; twog'Lindormen'class
coastal minelayers commissioned in 1978, each of
which can lay 60 mines and.is arn ed with two
20-mm cannon; one 'Langeland' class minelayer
armed with two 40-mm and two 20-mm guns; and
six US-built'Sund' class coastal mineweepers each
armed with a single 40-mm gun.
Support craft include one torpedo/recovery ves-
sel, the Dannebrog royal yacht. two tankers. four ice
breakers, plus fishery protection, survey vessels
and environmental patrol craft. The icebreakers are,
however. run by the Ministry of Trade and Shipping
although maintained by the navy, while the Ministry
of the Environment controls such ships that are
maintbined and manned by the navy.
The naval air arm has eight Westland Lynx heli-
copters which are flown by naval crews but main-
tained by the air force.
Like Norway and Sweden, Denmark malntains
coastal defence with forts armed with 150-mm (5.9-
in) and 40-mm guns at Stevns and Langland, plus
small coast-watching positions and radars.
The Danish Navy also has a special road-borne
support unit for its coastal forces, as in time of war
these would operate away from their main bases to
avoid detection. This unit, called the MOBA, has two
sections: operations and logistics. The former has
vehicles with communications equipment, com-
mand facilities and radar, while the larger logistics
element has vehicles carrying stores, fuel, provi-
sions, torpedoes and ammL-rnition.
Modernization plans include the procurement of
four submarines, additional helicopters, new mine
countermeasures vessels and updates for some of
the attack craft.
The Air Force
The Danish Air Force has 7,500 officers and men
of whom 'l ,500 are conscripts doing their national
service. Reserves total 9,400 off icers and men with
the air force home guard having an additional 12,400
officers and other ranks of whom 1,800 are women.
The Royal Danish Air Force is assigned to Allied Air
Forces Northern Europe.
The Tactical Air Command has three fighter
ground attack squadrons with 48 General Dynamics
F-1 64/8 aircraft (Numberc723,72l and 730 squad-
rons); one fighter ground attack/interceptor squad-
ron (Number 725) with 16 Saab Draken F-35XD
fighters; and one fighter ground attack/reconnaiss-
ance squadron (Number 729) with 16 RF-35XD
Draken aircraft. A total of 51 Drakens was purch-
ased from Sweden and modified to meet Danish
requirements. Missiles used by the aircraft include
Sidewinder AAMs and Bullpup ASMs.
Air Material Command has one transport squad-
ron (Number 721)and three communications flights
with three Lockheed C-1 30H Hercules transports,
three Grumman Gulfstream llls (used for VIP trans-
port and maritime reconnaissance) and seven Saab
T-1 7s. There is also a search and rescue squadron
(Number 722) with seven Slkorsky 5-61A helicop-
ters and 1 5 T-17s are used for flying training.
The Danish Air Force also mans and operates an
Air Defence Group with Raytheon lmproved Hawk
su rface-to-air. missiles.
The main air bases are located at Avno, Aalborg,
Skrydstrup. Karup and Vaerlsse.
Commissioned in I 980, HDMS NielsJuelis ffie
name ship of a three-strong class of frigates armed
with Harpoon SSMs and Sea Sparrow SAMs, as well
as an OTO-Melara 7 6-mm Compact gun.