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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0263.PDF
Air-Cuihion Vehicles FLIGHT International supplement, 30 January 1964 MILITARY APPLICATIONS Or HOVERCRAFT . . . take place practically anywhere. In disembarkation operations of conven- tional type we need harbours or a special disembarkation technique from landing craft on an open shore. The Hovercraft can—if the coast is fairly suitable—go up on the shore and unload directly on it. This will, perhaps, give quite new possibilities for disembarka- tion operations and may perhaps also change their character. The independence of harbours for the embarkation of troops may become especially important in the age of atomic weapons. Invasion fleets of conven- tional ships, gathered in a port, have without any hesitation to be considered as targets worthy of atomic weapons. This will hardly be the case with in- vasion ships of Hovercraft type, holding a dispersed formation on a shallow coast. It may prove that long shores with shallow water and without har- bours, which have formerly been quite impossible from a navigational point of view, will be the best ones for Hover- craft. How is a Hover-landing craft going to look? Fig 1 is a picture of SR.N3 in a military version. A conventional landing craft uses its stem for unloading; this is obviously not necessary for a Hover-landing craft. The independence of the medium over which the Hovercraft will pass may be of special importance in the waters of Northern Europe. In many of the coastal waters there is ice, making it difficult, especially for small ships, to enter or leave the ports. At sea, the Gulf of Bothnia and the Bothnian Sea are covered with ice every winter. The inland waters of the North-European countries are also frozen. Hovercraft may considerably increase the possibili- ties of using these watercourses for traffic. It must, however, be remem- bered that it is not always possible to pass with Hovercraft over waters covered with ice. In many areas of the Bothnian Sea and in the Gulf of Bothnia —especially just off the coast—there is pack ice. Icing-up is another problem to which special attention must be paid (see Fig 2). The Scandinavian coastal waters are full of rocks; therefore navigation is often difficult. Owing to the fact that Hovercraft have no underwater hull, they can navigate independently of rocks. In that way it is easier to pass without knowing the waters, and furthermore, it is possible to go straight on and consequently to arrive more rapidly at the destination. Before the radar age it was possible, under cover of night, to achieve sur- prise, even by means of ordinary, not- too-fast ships. Since the invention of radar and other modern means of reconnaissance the possibilities of an air-landing have offered the greatest advantages from this point of view. The transport capacity of air-landing is, however, very limited; besides, the landing presents special problems. The high speed of Hovercraft, their relative independence of suitable disembarka- tion shores, and their good transport capacity, may considerably increase the risks of surprise invasion operations. The Hovercraft will—if this expression may be allowed—widen the maritime road for rapid invasion transports. The military function of Hovercraft about which I have spoken—that is as landing craft—is already a fact. Most of those present have travelled by Hovercraft of one type or another. In favourable circumstances, all existing Hovercraft may be used as landing craft. Offensive mobility may also be ex- ploited to transport weapons against the enemy, against his invasion craft, against the protection forces, against raiding forces, against submarines, and for mine laying. The necessity of using fast weapon-carriers with a high fire- power is, of course, increased in the same proportion as the mobility of the Fig 3 Guided missile hovercraft with long-range surface-to-surface missiles and smallsurface-to-air missiles for protection Fig 2 "Icing up is another problem towhich special attention must be paid'" enemy transport craft and warships is increased. The general advantages of quickly arriving at the place of attack I hardly need to mention. Fire Power, Weapons Which are, then, the most suitable weapons for a Hovercraft? These craft are light ships; the types developed up to now are comparatively small. There- fore, the gun is perhaps not a suitable weapon system. Otherwise, a quick- firing gun with a moderate range would be an excellent defence weapon, speci- ally as a defence in the vicinity of the coast and in an archipelago. I think, however, that guided missiles with built-in driving power, and which do not require a very steady and heavy foundation, go much better together with Hovercraft than guns do. Missiles of comparatively long range, as well as those having a shorter range, may be considered. I mean, in the first place, ship-to-ship missiles. Certainly, that is not to say that it will not also be possible to install ship-to-air missiles. This ought to be an easy way to increase the mobility of anti-aircraft batteries. Hovercraft—such as they look today —can, of course, be equipped with con- ventional torpedoes. What is required is a loading capacity of some tons. I am, however, not sure that torpedoes are the best weapons for a Hovercraft. There is no good balance between the fast platform and the relatively slow torpedo. BUt we have had torpedo air- craft, so there might still be a reason for torpedoes on board a Hovercraft. Another task spoken about in con- nection with most new naval craft designs is anti-submarine warfare. It is certainly possible to use a Hovercraft for this purpose. Preliminarily, I cannot find, however, any obvious advantages of the Hovercraft compared with the combined system of a conventional ship plus helicopter. This is, of course, a matter that should be studied, and then the problem will be whether the Hover- craft shall replace the helicopter, or the ship, or both of them. The solution of the problem will depend entirely upon 6
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