From PAE Maritime Communications
New Orleans, Louisiana – The U.S. Navy accepted delivery of a Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 117, from Textron Systems in New Orleans, June 30.
The delivery strengthens the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to rapidly project combat power from sea to shore and supports the continued modernization of the amphibious fleet.
“LCAC 117 represents combat capability delivered to the Fleet,” said Capt. Chris Causee, program manager of the Amphibious Assault and Connectors Program Office. “Our focus is accelerating the transition from delivery to operational availability. Each additional connector strengthens the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to maneuver, sustain and respond decisively in complex environments.”
The SSC program is replacing the Navy’s legacy LCAC fleet and restores critical over-the-beach maneuver capability essential to amphibious operations. LCAC 117 increases the Navy’s capacity to move personnel, vehicles and equipment across contested littoral environments, directly supporting distributed maritime operations and global crisis response. The steady delivery of landing craft in serial production, with the recent delivery of LCAC 116 and LCACs 118 through 130 currently under construction, reflects disciplined program execution and a strong partnership with industry while sustaining a stable and capable industrial base.
With delivery complete, the craft will transition to Assault Craft Unit 4 for fleet integration, crew training and certification in preparation for operational employment.
The Portfolio Acquisition Executive (PAE) for Maritime is the single accountable organization for delivering surface ships for the U.S. Navy. This new centralized organizational construct will empower leaders with broader scope and greater authority to accelerate delivery of combat capability and ensure acquisition speed and discipline are driven by what the warfighter needs—when they need it.