FormerDirtDart
Well-Known Member
It’s been several months since the US Army issued an RFI to identify a replacement for their aging LCM-8s.
A little background: The Army’s LCM-8s serve essentially as cargo lighters. Supporting harbor/port operations. Most vessels are long past their anticipated service life.
The existing fleet basic characteristics:
IMO the RFI for what they are calling the ‘Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)’ identifies a significant capability upgrade. This follows what can only be considered a downgrade that the US Navy undertook when the replaced their LCM-8s on prepositioned ships with the Maritime Pre-positioning Force Utility Boat (MPFUB)
Links to the MSV(L) RFI specifications document can be found here:
https://contracting.tacom.army.mil/majorsys/replcm8/replcm8.htm (must download doc to view)
or a readable document on Scribd. here:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/244163691/RFI-Manuver-Support-Vessel-MSV-Light-Revision-02-15-Apr-14
Basic Threshold Requirements:
As I stated, the MSV(L) threshold requirements (let alone the objective ones) would be a significant upgrade over the LCM-8s in service.
While I’m no subject matter expert in amphibious landing systems, the conceptual or operational craft that immediately came to my mind as possibly meeting these requirements were the: ST Marine Brave 75t; BMT Caimen 90 Fast; QinetiQ PACSCAT; Socarenam L-CAT/EDA-R. Also, I was reminded of an old Textron concept, which would need to be scaled down significantly, the Textron High Speed Landing Craft Utility (HSLCU). (old patent document: Patent US6792886 - Planing landing craft - Google Patents ).
Also, from the MSV-L Questions & Answers link on the TACOM page, there seems to be some interest from a Turkish entity.
A little background: The Army’s LCM-8s serve essentially as cargo lighters. Supporting harbor/port operations. Most vessels are long past their anticipated service life.
The existing fleet basic characteristics:
- Length: 74 feet
- Beam: 21 feet
- Displacement: 58 LTONs (unladen); 111 LTONs (laden)
- Deck area: 620 square feet
- Range: 332 NM at 11 knots (unladen) one-way; 271 NM at 9 knots (laden) one-way
IMO the RFI for what they are calling the ‘Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) (MSV(L)’ identifies a significant capability upgrade. This follows what can only be considered a downgrade that the US Navy undertook when the replaced their LCM-8s on prepositioned ships with the Maritime Pre-positioning Force Utility Boat (MPFUB)
Links to the MSV(L) RFI specifications document can be found here:
https://contracting.tacom.army.mil/majorsys/replcm8/replcm8.htm (must download doc to view)
or a readable document on Scribd. here:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/244163691/RFI-Manuver-Support-Vessel-MSV-Light-Revision-02-15-Apr-14
Basic Threshold Requirements:
- Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station II (CROWS II)
- Survivable in SS7. ( “survivable” means that crew, cargo and passengers are unharmed, the vessel maintains sea keeping integrity, and it remains fully capable of resuming full operations when conditions permit)
- Fore and Aft ramps to allow drive-through operations, and one ramp configurable for small boat launch & recovery
- Payload capabilities:
- Four Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTV) w/trailer, crew and all personnel equipment
- Two Strykers (any variant) with SLAT armor, crew and all personnel equipment
- Two Bradleys (M2A2/M3A2) with crew and all personnel equipment (must be enough deck space to lower the vehicle’s rear ramp)
- One M1A2 Abrams tank with crew and all personnel equipment
- One Rifle Platoon of the Infantry IBCT with crew and all personnel equipment (This seems like a low number, as a vessel capable of carrying the other equipment noted would likely be able to carry an Infantry IBCT Company)
- Capable of safely transporting one fully-loaded at maximum weight 40-foot or two fully-loaded at maximum weight 20-foot ISO containers
- MSV(L) shall be capable of safely transporting material and personnel in SS3 (Objective requirement for SS increases to SS5)
- Maneuver and conduct all operations in a minimum of four feet of water, allow the bow ramp to be deployed in a minimum of two feet of water
(Objective requirement able to maneuver and conduct all operations in a minimum of two feet of water) - Speed: capability to move at a sustained speed of 18 knots laden in SS3; 24 knots unladen in SS3 (Objective requirement capability to move at a sustained speed of 22 knots laden in SS3; 30 knots unladen in SS3)
- Range: Conduct operations in SS3 as follows:
- 400 Nautical Miles (NM) at sustained speed of 24 knots when unladen round trip; and 360 NM at sustained speed of 18 knots laden round trip
- Continuous operations, for a period of 24 hours without refueling or re-provisioning
(Objective performance: round trip operations @SS4, 500 NM @ sustained 30 knots unladen, 400 NM @ sustained 20 knots laden)
- Transportability: capable of being loaded and moved on Heavy Lift Ship (HLS) or semi-submersible vessel (Objective: capable of being loaded via lift on/lift off and moved on Large, Medium-Speed RO/RO vessel)
- Anticipated production quantity is 36
As I stated, the MSV(L) threshold requirements (let alone the objective ones) would be a significant upgrade over the LCM-8s in service.
While I’m no subject matter expert in amphibious landing systems, the conceptual or operational craft that immediately came to my mind as possibly meeting these requirements were the: ST Marine Brave 75t; BMT Caimen 90 Fast; QinetiQ PACSCAT; Socarenam L-CAT/EDA-R. Also, I was reminded of an old Textron concept, which would need to be scaled down significantly, the Textron High Speed Landing Craft Utility (HSLCU). (old patent document: Patent US6792886 - Planing landing craft - Google Patents ).
Also, from the MSV-L Questions & Answers link on the TACOM page, there seems to be some interest from a Turkish entity.