The US Navy has contracted Rolls-Royce for $54.7 million to manufacture engines supporting the Landing Craft Air Cushion 100-class fleet. Under this agreement, the British engineering firm will supply 12 MT7 turboshaft engines plus auxiliary components and mounting systems for Ship to Shore Connector program craft.
Manufacturing operations will occur at facilities in Indianapolis, Indiana, with project completion scheduled for June 2029. The Rolls-Royce deal follows the Navy’s arrangement with Textron Systems to produce three more hovercraft due by 2031, adding to an initial August 2023 procurement of up to 73 vessels.
The Ship to Shore Connector program represents the Navy’s effort to phase out older LCAC vessels, maintaining crucial capabilities for Navy and Marine Corps forces to transfer personnel, combat vehicles, equipment, and cargo between ships and beaches in multiple operational scenarios. These versatile craft, capable of carrying 75-ton loads, perform duties spanning combat amphibious landings to disaster relief operations.
Each LCAC 100 operates with four MT7 powerplants producing 4.6 megawatts (roughly 6,160 shaft horsepower) per engine, achieving approximately 35-knot speeds with substantial range performance. The MT7 represents a naval adaptation of Rolls-Royce’s T406 engine technology currently powering the Navy’s Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey fleet.
