The UHAC is a beast, even half-scale. Check out the video.
In addition to impressive performance. Compared to LCAC/SSC, a production UHAC is projected to cost 50% less to buy and operate.
The Marines Test the LCAC Replacement: The Ultra Heavy-Lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC) | SLDInfo
THE MARINES TEST THE LCAC REPLACEMENT: THE ULTRA HEAVY-LIFT AMPHIBIOUS CONNECTOR (UHAC)
According to an article by By Lance Cpl. Erik Estrada published on March 18, 2014:
Members of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab arrived here to test a model version of the Ultra Heavy-lift Amphibious Connector (UHAC) March 3.
The UHAC is an amphibious craft that has three times the lift capacity and greater coastal access than the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC.)
“It’s promising because it allows a greater lift and it’s exciting to see,” said Capt. James Pineiro, the Ground Combat Element branch head, at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.
Less than half the size of the actual UHAC, the Warfighting Laboratory was here to see their project in action for the first time after years of planning.
If the concept model goes through, the UHAC could work side by side with the LCAC, which currently does all the ship-to-shore transportation of everything from High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) to tanks.
“The full-scale model should be able to carry at least three tanks and a HMMVW,” said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Perera, the lab’s Infantry Weapons Project Officer. “It’s going to save a lot of time and fuel for the Marine Corps as well.”
Although the concept model doesn’t appear to be armored well, the final production is planned to have armor plating and .50-caliber machine guns, which Perera says are needed on the UHAC to be able to protect itself.
“The UHAC’s goal is to have more combat power and breach the land further than the LCAC,” said Pineiro.
“All this is part of the ‘next effort’ that the Office of Naval Research and the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab are looking at for connectors, which bring more combat vehicles and power to shore quickly,” said Mr. Geoffrey Main, Program Manager at the Office of Naval Research. “The UHAC full scale should climb a 12 to 16 foot wall when it is completed. It can go over everything short of a 16 to 18 foot seawall.”