The nearly billion dollar contract to build MSV(L) was awarded to Vigor in October, 2017. The new design, developed in partnership with BMT (ed. note: based on their Caimen design), dramatically improves the capabilities of the current LCM-8 and provides the optimal combination of performance, operational flexibility and life-cycle cost while maintaining the reliability and versatility of the Army’s current craft.
The ceremonial weld marked not only the start of the MSV(L) program but also the beginning of a new era in shipbuilding at Vigor’s recently acquired state-of-the-art all Aluminum Fabrication facility in Vancouver. Vigor expects the site to employ up to 400 workers by 2023 building high performance military craft, workboats and aluminum fast ferries in addition to MSV(L).
Once the SSG Elroy F. Wells is completed and testing and refinements have occurred, the schedule calls for four vessels in the Low Rate Production phase, followed by up to 32 vessels once Full Rate Production is underway. Vigor’s MSV(L) team consists of a number of key partners including BMT, Gladding-Hearn and Northrop Grumman.
The landing craft’s tribow monohull is an innovative yet deceptively simple design that provides superior maneuverability and stability in high sea states, through the littorals and within inland waterways in support of land-based operations. MSV(L) is a natural evolution of the BMT Caimen-90®, leveraging more than a decade of extensively-tested performance and adapted by the Vigor-BMT team to meet U.S. Army requirements.
MSV(L) Characteristics
Type: Landing Craft
Configuration: Tribow Monohull
Material: Aluminum
Length (Overall): 117’0″ (35.6m)
Beam (Molded): 28’2” (8.6m)
Speed (Laden): 21 knots
Speed (Unladen): 30+ knots
Range: 360+ nautical miles
Main Engines (3) @2600 HP
Propulsors (3) Waterjets
Other:
- Bi-fold bow ramp
- Kedge anchor system
- (2) CROWS II mount
Crew: 8
Deck Area: 1,697 ft sq
Max Capacity: 82 ton
Anticipated Payloads:
- (1) main battle tank
- (2) armored vehicle
- Additional design payloads
Deck Features: Drive-through capability. Payload tie-down point grid.
