The Lebed class is a medium size assault hovercraft designed for the Soviet Navy

Soviet Navy

The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...

. The few remaining craft are operated by the Russian Navy.

Designed by the design bureau wing of Almaz shipbuilding company

Almaz shipbuilding company

Almaz shipbuilding company - is a Soviet/Russian manufacturing enterprise, specializing in military and commercial ship design, development and production. Headquartered in St. Petersburg. Factory territory est. 165,000 sq. m. Located at central part of St. Petersburg on Petrovsky Island...

 early in the 1970s, production started in 1972 and continued until 1985 in plants at Leningrad

Leningrad

Leningrad is the former name of Saint Petersburg, Russia.Leningrad may also refer to:- Places :* Leningrad Oblast, a federal subject of Russia, around Saint Petersburg* Leningrad, Tajikistan, capital of Muminobod district in Khatlon Province...

 and Theodosia

Theodosia

Feodosiya is a port and resort city in Crimea, Ukraine, on the Black Sea coast. During much of its history the town was known as Caffa or Kaffa .- History :...

.

Configuration

The Lebed class is the Russian Navy equivalent to the U.S. Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 LCAC

LCAC

The Landing Craft Air Cushion is a class of air-cushion vehicle used as landing craft by the United States Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force...

, thought the U.S. version entered service seven years later. The Lebed class entered service in 1975, and by the early 1990s twenty had been produced. The ship has a bow ramp with a gun on the starboard side and the bridge to port. The Lebed class can be carried by the "Ivan Rogov" class assault transport ships. The type began to be withdrawn following the fall of the Soviet Union, and by 2004 only three remained. Number 533 is in the Northern Fleet, while 639 and 640 took part in the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...

exercises of 2002.

Specifications

• Crew 6 (2 officers)
• Dimensions
  • Length 24.6 metres
  • Width 10.8 metres
  • full load displacement 114 tons
• Propulsion
  • Motors gas turbine
  • Power: 2 x 10000 horsepower MT-70 gas turbines for lift and propulsion
  • Propellers: 2 four bladed variable pitch propellers
• Performance
  • Speed 55 knots
  • Range 100 miles at 50 knots
  • Military Lift: 1 medium tank T-54 or 2 light tanks PT-76 or 120 troops or 37 tons of cargo
• Weapons
  • 1 12.7mm (twin) "Utes-M" machine gun
• Radars
  • Navigation: Kivach; I-band