The Marine Corps is testing what could arguably be deemed the Godzilla of amphibious assault vehicles in Hawaii July 9 through Aug. 1 — and it’s still only a half-scale version.
The Ultra Heavy-Lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC) was created by the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab and the Office of Naval Research to replace the Corps’ current go-to amphibious assault vehicle, the Landing Craft Air Cushioned (LCAC).
The UHAC is 42 feet long, 26 feet wide and 17 feet high, and can handle 150 tons (190 with an overload payload). It can carry three main battle tanks ashore from a range of 200 nautical miles.
“Unlike the LCAC, the UHAC can continue moving while onshore across mud flats, tidal marsh areas, and even over sea walls of up to 10 feet in height,” Business Insider reported Thursday. The LCAC also acts like a hovercraft, while the UHAC moves by using air-filled tracks made out of foam.
While the new capability might not sound like much to a civilian, it’s welcome news to Marines.
“You could look at the amphibious invasion of Inchon, during the Korean War,” Capt. James Pineiro, Ground Combat Element branch head for the Warfighting Lab’s Science and Technology Division told Marine Corps Times in March. “There were significant mud flats there, and a 26-foot tide difference. At low tide, it went a couple of miles out. That was a problem during the invasion of Inchon.”
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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