According to information published by the U.S. DoD on February 11, 2022, the next-generation landing craft, Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC), successfully completed well deck interoperability testing with USS Carter Hall (LSD 50).
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Ship-to-Shore Connector inside USS Carter Hall (Picture source: U.S. DoD)
The evolution was conducted as part of the first phase of ship interface testing and helped validate user requirements by performing multiple well deck entries and exits from USS Carter Hall. LCACs are built with similar configurations, dimensions, and clearances to the legacy LCAC – ensuring the compatibility with existing well deck-equipped amphibious ships.
With the recent delivery of LCAC 103 and its fly away to NSWC Panama City, the program is currently in serial production on LCACs 104 – 116. The delivery of four more craft is scheduled for later this calendar year.
The Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), also known as the LCAC 100 class, is a system proposed by the United States Navy as a replacement for the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC). The top speed is 50 knots (58 mph; 93 km/h).
USS Carter Hall (LSD-50) is a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. The ship was launched on 2 October 1993 and commissioned on 30 September 1995.
