U.S. Navy’s Seaplane Mystery: A New Approach to Amphibious Warfare
The U.S. is currently developing a seaplane for amphibious landings.
Various types of seaplanes, flying boats, and wing-in-ground-effect vehicles are being developed.
Russia uses them as attack aircraft.
The success of an amphibious assault depends on how quickly and extensively a nation can deploy its forces, ultimately determining the outcome of a war. As a result, the means and methods employed to swiftly and efficiently land troops on the coastline are crucial. Traditionally, various tools such as landing ships have been used, and today, methods like air-cushioned landing craft are introduced. However, the United States approaches this with a slightly different perspective.
Recently, the United States has reportedly awarded contracts to Boeing and General Atomics for the development of amphibious landing craft to deploy troops along coastlines. Both companies have provided their anticipated designs. Today, let’s take a brief look at transport aircraft, as well as related concepts like VTOL and UAVs.
General Atomics’ dual-hull design
Aurora Flight Sciences’ approach is closer to a flying boat
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has placed an order for C-17 Globemaster-class amphibious transport aircraft, and the anticipated designs submitted by the two companies had completely different feels. General Atomics presented a design featuring a double-hulled transport aircraft capable of landing on water. The concept showcased a strong emphasis on traditional aircraft design, with the front opening to deploy internal landing forces from the sea
On the other hand, the anticipated design from Boeing’s subsidiary, Aurora Flight Sciences, is closer to a traditional VTOL with eight turboprops. However, this design is notably more feasible for faster movement above the water surface. The common goal in the designs presented by both companies is to secure a means of rapidly deploying troops in response to increased war risks, particularly from China.
The concept of a flying boat is older than you might think
It wasn’t used for amphibious landings
We’ve mentioned flying boats and seaplanes, which are similar yet different concepts. A seaplane is a broader concept, referring to an aircraft that can land on water, while a flying boat is more accurately seen as a ‘ship’ that can fly with wings.
Originally, seaplanes and flying boats were used in the past for reconnaissance or passenger transport. During the First World War, they performed missions such as being replenished by battleships at sea and flying at low altitudes over the ocean to detect torpedoes or submarines. However, as aircraft technology advanced, the utility of seaplanes diminished significantly due to the high costs associated with waterproofing and other factors. Consequently, they began to phase out gradually.
Russia uses them for attacks
The U.S.’s multi-dimensional amphibious operations
On the other hand, the wing-in-ground-effect vehicle, a similar concept, is an aircraft that is treated as a ship due to its significantly lower flight altitude compared to airplanes. In the 1960s, Russia developed the Lun-class missile ekranoplan based on this concept and deployed it in the Caspian Sea, but it was discontinued after only one was produced.
Currently, the U.S. military appears to be building a force capable of conducting multi-dimensional amphibious operations in anticipation of a full-scale war with China. Through this, it is expected that the U.S. military will be able to quickly deploy troops anywhere in the world, including Taiwan, in the event of a crisis.
By. Military Shot
Most Commented