To this day, the Zubr Class stands as the world’s largest class of hovercraft, with a standard full load displacement of 555 tons.
The military history of the world has proven that amphibious assaults are one of the most dangerous yet extremely important actions. Countries around the globe have invested heavily in technologies to transport soldiers and war machines from water to land to wage war on the enemy. Developed since 1988, the Zubr Class, known by the Soviet Union as Project 12322, was a class of air-cushioned amphibious assault craft designed by the Soviet Union. The Zubr Class remains the largest class of hovercraft in the world, boasting a standard full load displacement of 555 tons.
The Zubr craft measures 57 meters in length, 25.6 meters in beam, and has a draft of 1.6 meters. Its design includes a bridge superstructure amidships with three large, shrouded propulsion fans aft. The forward section of the boat is largely unobstructed and sports a raised bow with a lowering ramp for embarking or disembarking units, systems, cargo, and infantry.
The hull, specially designed to mitigate the effects of magnetic naval mines, sits atop an inflatable bed which provides the necessary cushion when going ashore. The cushion is deflated to bring the bow ramp to ground level. The Zubr craft features a surface search radar, chaff launchers, and decoys among other integrated systems. Armament includes Surface-to-Air missile launchers, 2 30mm AK-630 cannons, and 2 rocket launchers. The ship is also protected from magnetic influence mines with an active system compensating for the magnetic fields generated by the ship and transported materials. The central command post and MS-227 device compartments are strengthened with alloy armor.
The Zubr-class landing craft can carry three main battle tanks, or ten armored personnel vehicles with 140 troops, or 8 armored personnel carriers of total mass up to 115 tons, or 8 amphibious tanks or up to 500 troops. The propulsion system of the Zubr consisted of 3 10,000 horsepower providing M35-1 gas turbine units, 2 10,000 horsepower supercharging M35-2 gas turbine units. The three propulsion engines manage four variable-pitch propeller assemblies. The Zubr can reach speeds of up to 40 knots in ideal conditions and achieve speeds of up to 60 knots under certain conditions. Operational range is listed at 300 miles. The hull is designed for operations in up to “Sea State 4,” which identifies wave heights of four to eight feet.
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