by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The US Navy has now received its first Abrams-tank-transporting Ship-to-Shore Connector Landing Craft designed to bring Marines, weapons, supplies and ammunition from ship-to-shore in support of amphibious operations, a Naval Sea Systems Command essay says.
In development now for many years, the now operational Ship-to-Shore Connectors (SSCs) change the paradigm for landing craft and will ultimately replace the Navy’s long-serving 72 Landing Craft Air Cushions.
The Textron built SSCs advance the technical curve in a number of key respects as they are faster, more high-tech and, perhaps most of all, able to transport 70-ton Abrams tanks.
In addition to more payload capability, which greatly improves the ability of a joint force to project heavy armor in support of amphibious assault, the new SSC operates with digital flight controls and computer automation replacing the traditional yoke and pedals on existing LCACs. As a result, on-board computers will quickly calculate relevant details such as wind speed and navigational information
The new SSC’s have also moved to a lower frequency for ship electronics, moving from 400 Hertz down to 60 Hertz in order to better synchronize ship systems with Navy common standards, Textron developers explained. Along with these properties, the new craft reduces the number of gear boxes from eight to two.
While much more capable than the traditional LCACs, the SSCs are built to similar configuration standards and dimensions to ensure it is compatible with the well-decks of current amphibious ships such as the Expeditionary Sea Base and the Expeditionary Transfer Dock.
.The 2023 Navy budget asks for an increase the amount of produced SSCs. It makes sense that the Navy would want to request more landing craft connectors, given that the services Distributed Maritime Operation strategy calls for faster-moving, disaggregated yet highly networked operations across wider swaths of ocean. This makes forces less condensed or concentrated, therefore reducing their vulnerability to enemy fire, while also greatly increasing the ability to reinforce a beachhead amphibious landing with Marines, weapons, supplies and even heavily-armored vehicles such as tanks.
Since potential adversaries now have longer-range weapons, better sensors and targeting technologies and computers with faster processing speeds, amphibious forces approaching the shore may need to disperse in order to make it harder for enemy forces to target them. This phenomenon, wherein potential adversaries have advanced weaponry designed to make it harder for U.S. forces to operate in certain areas such as closer to the shore, is described by Pentagon analysts as “anti-access/area-denial.”
Tanks Support Amphibious Attack
An ability to deploy Abrams tanks quickly in support of an amphibious attack is a critically vital capability potentially able to greatly enhance ship-to-shore power projection capability for the US Marine Corps. Once a beachhead is secured in any way, more heavily armored platforms may be needed to acquire and “hold” territory on an occupied area.
Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
