Zubr class LCAC

The Russian designed Zubr or Project 1232.2 class (NATO reporting name "Pomornik") is the world’s largest military hovercraft and serves as an Air-cushioned landing craft. Note that the Bora is bigger but has side walls so it is not considered a true hovercraft because some of the side structure is in the water.

Zubr is designed to sealift landing assault units (such as marines or tanks) from equipped/non-equipped vessels to non-equipped shore, as well as transport and plant mines.

The Greek Navy operates four ships. Three vessels were commissioned in 2001: Kefallonia (L180) was purchased used from the Russian Navy but has been upgraded, Ithaki (L181) was completed in Ukraine, and Zakynthos (L183) was built in Russia. A fourth vessel, Kerkyra, was launched in June 2004 at St Petersburg yard and was commissioned in January 2005.

Configuration

High strength and floatability of the craft are provided by a rectangular pontoon, the main load-carrying part of the ship's hull. The superstructure built on the pontoon is divided into 3 compartments with two longitudinal bulkheads: combat materiel compartment in the midsection fitted with tank ramps, and outboard sections housing main and auxiliary propulsion units, troops compartments, living quarters, and NBC protection systems. To improve working conditions in the battle stations, troops compartments and living quarters, they are fitted with air-conditioning and heating-systems, sound/heat-insulating coatings, and structures made of vibrodamping materials. The ship provides normal conditions for the crew to take meals and rest.

Personnel are protected against effects of weapons of mass destruction with airtight sealing of combat stations, crew and troops compartments, as well as individual gas masks and protection suits. The ship is also protected from influence mines with the horizontal winding to compensate for the ship's and the transported materiel's magnetic fields. The central command post and MS-227 device compartments are strengthened with alloy armour.

Capacity

Zubr landing craft can carry three main battle tanks (up to 131 tonnes), or ten armoured personnel carriers with 140 troops (up to 115 tonnes), or up to 500 troops (with 360 troops in the cargo compartment). At full displacement the ship is capable of negotiating up to 5-degree gradients on non-equipped shores and 1.6m-high vertical walls. Zubr remains seaworthy in conditions up to Sea state 4, sailing on air cushion at 30-40 knots.

Operators

*Russian navy
** 770 "Evgeny Kocheshkov" (former MDK-50)
** 782 "Mordovia" (former MDK-94)
* Ukrainian navy
* People's Liberation Army Navy
* Hellenic Navy
** "HS Kephallenia" (L180)
** "HS Ithaki" (L181)
** "HS Kerkyra" (L182)
** "HS Zakynthos" (L183)

pecifications

*Crew 27
*Dimensions
**Length 56.2 metres
**Width 22.3 metres
**length on air cushion 57.3 metres
**width on air cushion 25.6 metres
**height on air cushion 21.9 metres
**standard displacement 480 tons
**full load displacement 535 tons
*Propulsion
**Motors gas turbine
**Power: 3 x 10,000; 2 x 10,000 horsepower
**Propellers: 3 four bladed variable pitch propellers
*Generators
**Generator Type: Gas Turbine Generator
**Power 4 x 100 kilowatts
*Performance
**Speed 60 knots, 40 knots (lift 3 tanks)
**Range at Maximum Speed: 300 miles
**Endurance 5 days
**Military Lift: Three T-80b tanks, or ten BTR-70 armored personnel carriers, or 140 assault troops with 130 tons of cargo
*Weapons
**Strela-3 Portable Air Defense Missile System 4 x 4 launchers plus 32 Anti-Personnel missiles
**30 mm AK-630 Air Defense Gun Mount 2 x 6 with 6000 rounds
**140 mm Ogon launchers 2 x 22 with 132 rockets
**Mines (one set of removable equipment for laying from 20 to 80 mines, depending on their types)
*Electronic Systems
**General Detection Radar
**Navigation Radar
**Electronic Countermeasures System

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNAMSeZmJvk Vessel description (in Russian) on Youtube]
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmU53y7atXE
*http://www.almaz.spb.ru/home/product/zubr.asp
*http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/zubr/
*http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/dad_history_en.asp
*http://www.hellenicnavy.gr/dad_ships_en.asp
*http://www.rusarm.ru/roe_eng/en_news/en_pr_rel/en_p_r_06_10_23.html