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Foudre vs Landing Craft Air Cushion

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Specifications
Foudre Landing Craft Air Cushion
Origin 🇫🇷 France 🇺🇸 United States
Category Amphibious vessel Amphibious vessel
Type Landing platform dock Landing craft
Manufacturer DCN Brest Textron Marine and Land Systems
Year introduced 1990 1986
Number built 2 units 97 units
Estimated unit price $380 million $24 million
Displacement 11,880 tons 185 tons
Maximum speed 21.0 knots 70.0 knots
Range 11,000 nm at 15 knots 300 nm at 35 knots
Length 168.0 m 26.8 m
Beam 23.5 m 14.0 m
Crew 215 5
Performance Radar Chart
Armament & Systems
Foudre Landing Craft Air Cushion
Armament
  • 3 Simbad launcher systems for Mistral SAMs
  • 3 × single 30 mm Breda-Mauser guns
  • 4 × single 12.7 mm machine guns
  • Two M240B machine guns
  • Mk 19 Mod 3 40 mm grenade launcher
Propulsion 2 × SEMT-Pielstick 16 PC 2.5 V400 diesel engines (15,480 kW), 2 × controllable-pitch propellers, 1 × bow thruster (750 kW) 4 Avco Lycoming TF40B, (4,390 hp; 3,270 kW) each

Overview

The Foudre and the Landing Craft Air Cushion are both Amphibious vessel classes.

The Foudre displaces 11,880 tons — 64:1 the Landing Craft Air Cushion's 185 tons. The Foudre reaches 21 knots vs 70 knots for the Landing Craft Air Cushion. Operational range is 11,000 nautical miles for the Foudre vs 300 for the Landing Craft Air Cushion. The Foudre carries a crew of 215 vs 5 for the Landing Craft Air Cushion.

The Foudre was produced in 2 units vs 97 for the Landing Craft Air Cushion. Cost per hull is $380M for the Foudre vs $24M for the Landing Craft Air Cushion. The Foudre was commissioned in 1990, 4 years after the Landing Craft Air Cushion (1986).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Which has greater displacement, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Foudre-class has greater displacement at 11,880 tons compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 185 tons.
Which is faster, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Landing Craft Air Cushion-class is faster with a maximum speed of 70 knots compared to the Foudre-class's 21 knots.
Which has longer range, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Foudre-class has a longer range at 11,000 nautical miles compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 300 nautical miles.
Which is longer, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Foudre-class is longer at 168.0 meters compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 26.8 meters.
How many crew members do the Foudre-class and Landing Craft Air Cushion-class have?
The Foudre-class has a larger crew complement of 215 compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 5 crew members.
Which is more expensive, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Foudre-class is more expensive at approximately $380 million per unit compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class at $24 million.
Which has been built in greater numbers, the Foudre-class or Landing Craft Air Cushion-class?
The Landing Craft Air Cushion-class has been built in greater numbers with 97 vessels compared to 2 vessels of the Foudre-class.