The U.S. Navy has accepted delivery of the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 114 from Textron Systems, marking the latest addition to the service’s fleet of amphibious connectors.
LCAC 116 is the latest SSC delivered to the Navy and joins a growing fleet of air-cushion landing craft designed to transport personnel, vehicles, equipment, and cargo from ship to shore. The SSC program serves as the replacement for the Navy’s legacy LCAC fleet, which has supported amphibious operations for decades.
Built to provide increased reliability and maintainability while retaining the speed and flexibility of its predecessor, the SSC is designed to support expeditionary operations across a range of missions. The craft can transport forces and equipment from amphibious ships to austere shorelines, enabling rapid movement of personnel and cargo in contested and remote environments.
According to the Navy, the addition of LCAC 116 enhances the service’s ability to support distributed maritime operations, project combat power, and respond to crises worldwide.
Textron Systems remains in serial production of additional craft, with LCACs 117 through 126 currently under construction.
“The SSC program delivers the speed, flexibility and mobility our Sailors and Marines require to execute expeditionary operations around the globe,” Melissa Kirkendall, deputy portfolio acquisition executive for expeditionary and mine warfare, said in a statement. “Each craft delivered strengthens maritime readiness and reflects our commitment to delivering critical capability to the warfighter.”
The SSC program is managed by the Navy’s Program Executive Office Ships and is intended to recapitalize the service’s ship-to-shore connector capability as older LCACs reach the end of their service lives.
