Landing Craft Air Cushion

LCAC
A US Navy LCAC maneuvers to enter the well deck of the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge
Type	Landing craft
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1986–present
Production history
Manufacturer	Textron Marine and Land Systems Avondale Gulfport Marine
Unit cost	$27 million (1996) ~$41 million (2015)[1]
No. built	97
Specifications
Mass	182 long tons (185 t) full load
Length	87 feet 11 inches (26.80 meters)
Width	47 feet (14 meters)
Crew	5
Main armament	Two M240B machine guns. Gun mounts will support: Mk 19 Mod 3 40 mm grenade launcher. [2]
Engine	4 gas turbines
Payload capacity	60 short tons (up to 75 short tons in an overload condition)(54/68 metric tons)
Operational range	200 nmi at 40 kn (370 km at 75 km/h) without payload 300 nmi at 35 kn (550 km at 65 km/h) without payload
Maximum speed	40+ knots (46+ mph; 74 km/h) with full load, 70+ knots maximum speed

The Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) is a class of air-cushioned landing craft (hovercraft) used by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). They transport weapons systems, equipment, cargo and personnel from ship to shore and across the beach. It is to be replaced in US service by the Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC).