Landing Craft Air Cushion vs Mk IV LCU

The Landing Craft Air Cushion and the Mk IV LCU are both Amphibious vessel classes. The Mk IV LCU displaces 1,001 tons — 5.4x the Landing Craft Air Cushion's 185 tons. The Landing Craft Air Cushion reaches 70 knots vs 15 knots for the Mk IV LCU. Operational range is 300 nautical miles for the Landing Craft Air Cushion vs 2,500 for the Mk IV LCU. The Landing Craft Air Cushion carries a crew of 5 vs 56 for the Mk IV LCU. The Landing Craft Air Cushion was produced in 97 units vs 8 for the Mk IV LCU. Cost per hull is $41M for the Landing Craft Air Cushion vs $540M for the Mk IV LCU. The Landing Craft Air Cushion was commissioned in 1986, 31 years before the Mk IV LCU (2017).

American amphibious landing craft, introduced in 1986, achieves 70 knots using four gas turbine engines.
Origin 🇺🇸 United States
Category Amphibious vessel
Type Landing craft
Manufacturer Textron Marine and Land Systems
Year introduced 1986
Number built 97 units
Estimated unit price $41 million
Indian landing craft utility, introduced in 2017, powered by two MTU diesel engines.
Origin 🇮🇳 India
Category Amphibious vessel
Type Landing craft utility
Manufacturer GRSE
Year introduced 2017
Number built 8 units
Estimated unit price $540 million
Displacement 185 tons
Maximum speed 70.0 knots
Range 300 nm at 35 knots
Length 26.8 m
Beam 14.0 m
Crew 5
Propulsion 4 Avco Lycoming TF40B, (4,390 hp; 3,270 kW) each
Armament
  • Two M240B machine guns
  • Mk 19 Mod 3 40 mm grenade launcher
Displacement 1,001 tons
Maximum speed 15.0 knots
Range 2,500 nm
Length 62.8 m
Beam 11.0 m
Crew 56
Propulsion 2 MTU 16V 4000 M53 diesel engines Fixed-pitch propellers
Armament

2 × 30 mm CRN 91 naval gun 12.7 mm heavy machine guns 7.62 mm machine guns Igla man-portable surface-to-air missiles

Performance Radar Chart

Frequently Asked Questions

Which has greater displacement, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Mk IV LCU-class has greater displacement at 1,001 tons compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 185 tons.
Which is faster, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Landing Craft Air Cushion-class is faster with a maximum speed of 70 knots compared to the Mk IV LCU-class's 15 knots.
Which has longer range, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Mk IV LCU-class has a longer range at 2,500 nautical miles compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 300 nautical miles.
Which is longer, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Mk IV LCU-class is longer at 62.8 meters compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 26.8 meters.
How many crew members do the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class and Mk IV LCU-class have?
The Mk IV LCU-class has a larger crew complement of 56 compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class's 5 crew members.
Which is more expensive, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Mk IV LCU-class is more expensive at approximately $540 million per unit compared to the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class at $41 million.
Which has been built in greater numbers, the Landing Craft Air Cushion-class or Mk IV LCU-class?
The Landing Craft Air Cushion-class has been built in greater numbers with 97 vessels compared to 8 vessels of the Mk IV LCU-class.