The Tsaplya class LCAC was a medium size assault hovercraft operated by the Russian Navy.

Configuration

These craft are a lengthened version of the Lebed class LCAC

Lebed class LCAC

The Lebed class is a medium size assault hovercraft designed for the Soviet Navy. The few remaining craft are operated by the Russian Navy....

 hovercraft, which is the Russian Navy equivalent to the U.S. Navy 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...

. They were also meant to replace the smaller Gus class LCAC

Gus class LCAC

The Gus class LCAC was a medium sized assault hovercraft operated by the Soviet Navy from 1969 until the early 1990s.- Configuration :The Gus class was a military version of the Soviet Skate class 50 passenger hovercraft, and was designed to transport infantry and light equipment. Between 1969 and...

. The prototype was built at Feodosiya and entered service in 1982. The second was completed in 1987. By the early 1990s ten ships had been produced. Like the Lebed they could be transported by the Ivan Rogov class assault transport. The ships had a bow ramp with a gun on the starboard side and the bridge to port. They were more heavily armed than the Lebed class and were probably used as patrol craft in addition to troop and equipment transport duties. The Tsaplya class was built for Border Guards service along the Amur and Ussuri River

Ussuri River

The Usuri ula is a river in the south of the Outer Manchuria and east of Inner Manchuria . It rises in the Sikhote-Alin range, flowing north, forming part of the Sino-Russian border based on the Sino-Russian Convention of Peking in 1860, until it joins the Amur River at Khabarovsk . It is...

 borders with China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, and all served in the Amur/Ussuri River Flotilla. The type began to be withdrawn following the fall of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

. Three ships have been scrapped, and by 1995 none were observed to be operational.

Operators

Russian Federation Navy (retired)

Republic of Korea Navy

Republic of Korea Navy

The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...

 3 in service

Specifications

• Crew 14 (4 officers)
• Dimensions
  • Length 31.6 metres
  • Width 14.8 metres
  • full load displacement 149 tons
• Propulsion
  • Motors gas turbine
  • Power: 2 PR-77 gas turbines x 4000 horsepower, 2 lift fans, 2 propulsion fans
  • Propellers: 2 four bladed variable pitch propellers
• Performance
  • Speed 50 knots
  • Range 100 miles at 50 knots
  • Military Lift: 1 main battle tank plus 80 troops or 25 tons plus 160 troops (45 tons total)
• Weapons
  • 2 AK-230
    AK-230
    AK-230 is a Soviet fully automatic naval twin 30 mm gun. Its primary function is anti-aircraft. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar. AK-230 is probably the most popular gun of its class in the world, mounted on big warships as well as small crafts. About 1450 guns...
    
     or AK-630
    AK-630
    The AK-630 is a Soviet fully automatic naval close-in weapon system based on a six-barreled 30 mm Gatling gun. It is mounted in an enclosed automatic turret and directed by radar and television detection and tracking. The system's primary purpose is defense against anti-ship missiles and other...
    
    30 mm AA, 1 SA-N-5/8 SAM position, 2 12.7 mm MG, 2 40 mm grenade launchers
• Radars
  • Navigation: Curl Stone; I-band