At the concept’s core is a multi-role surface manoeuvre craft designed to deploy from large platforms like amphibious ships operating at stand-off distance, and to rapidly conduct force and wider capability insertion ashore. This includes operating in hostile, denied environments and through anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) ‘bubbles’.
LSC can also be deployed from shore infrastructure.
Talking to Naval News at the Euronaval 2024 exposition in Paris, Dr Mike Dalzell – head of innovation and technology for BAE Systems Maritime Services – said “We’ve taken everything we think we know about landing craft, thrown it away, and started again. We deliberately do not refer to it as a landing craft: that’s why we gave it the name ‘Littoral Strike Craft’.”
“[Littoral Strike Craft] demonstrates what we think future littoral strike capability can look like,” said Dalzell. “There are many ways to deliver littoral strike. It’s not just about delivering people, vehicles, and equipment ashore from a ship,” he continued. “We see there being a much greater requirement for integration of offboard assets.” This includes deploying uncrewed systems of various types, and other integrated sensors and effectors. “That ability to project effects into the littoral space and beyond is very much what this is about, down at the tactical level,” Dalzell added.
The LSC design includes unconventional hull and superstructure shapes, reflecting the emphasis on stealth, speed, range, and seakeeping. This emphasis enables LSC’s ‘mothership’ to operate beyond A2/AD reach, with LSC then deploying towards and through that threat and on to the littoral region and shoreline. “You need to be able to transit that space more quickly and stealthily to generate that decisive action, including to create the ambiguity of ‘where are you going to land’ once you’ve launched from the task group,” said Dalzell.
LSC’s effects can be deploying people and equipment, including commando strike teams tasked with operations ashore. Other effects could include conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) or electro-magnetic sensing operations, or deploying uncrewed systems bringing either surveillance or kinetic capabilities.
Deploying LSC from distance offshore through potentially heavy sea states at speed underscores the need for enhanced seakeeping to enable delivery of effective output. “Key to the design has been the concept of what operators refer to as being ‘fit to fight’,” said Dalzell. “We have to deliver the people and equipment in a condition ‘fit to fight’ when they arrive.” The design process has included developing the hullform and using technology to enhance seakeeping through motion mitigation.
LSC’s basic design metrics are a broad aim for an overall length around 18-20 m, and a 30-50 tonne full-load displacement, depending on payload and launch-and-recovery (LAR) arrangements. However, Dalzell explained, there is flexibility in design size to meet customer requirements.
A practical cruising speed for a craft of this size is 20-30 kt, with ability to sprint above 30 kt if required. Speeds are sea-state dependent, though. Cruising range depends on the mission’s fuel and payload requirements: however, around 300 n miles would reflect the missions envisaged. Onboard facilities to support multi-day operations can be provided.
For launching LSC from its ‘mothership’, BAE Systems is assessing various options. Generic, established concepts include well-docks, davits, load-handling systems, and bespoke LAR constructs.
For launching its own payloads, LSC is designed around Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) access, with a tunnel running through the middle of the craft. Central to the LSC concept is capacity to embark and disembark capabilities (including people and their equipment) quickly and efficiently, and to have flexibility to respond rapidly to changes in missions. The Ro/Ro concept reflects these requirements. From the operator’s perspective, Dalzell noted, the Ro/Ro approach provides flexibility and speed in response because everything is loaded, ready to go.
LSC’s conceptual emphasis on modular design is reflected in the fact that, if vehicles are not embarked, other, palletised or podded capabilities can be carried onboard, including loading them through hatches on the upper superstructure.
LSC can be operated in crewed or uncrewed mode, or lean-crewed mode enhanced with autonomy, Dalzell explained. Uncrewed operations can be conducted through using remote control or full autonomy. “The concept for the craft is it will be designed with our Nautomate integrated autonomy system baked into it,” he said.
The concept also includes integrating BAE Systems’ wider work on autonomy and distributed sensing.
LSC concept of operations encompass conducting ‘mothership’ and task group force protection. Here, LSC can forward deploy with sensing capability to provide advanced warning, within an integrated network linked to aircraft and larger ships. It can also bring kinetic capabilities, like a guided rocket launcher or a remote weapons station fitted with a lightweight cannon.
Littoral Strike Craft can also operate in decoy or deception roles. As regards its development roadmap, Dalzell said “It’s an advanced concept … having a number of options to develop it into a detail design.” The company will continue maturing the design, including through modelling and simulation, especially to understand the performance envelope and trade spaces therein.
