The Navy is planning to have four Ship to Shore Connector ships (SSCs) delivered per year and is progressing through testing before initial capability planned for 2023. Plans are for four deliveries per year. There's been two deliveries each of the last two years, according to Capt. Scot Searles, program manager for the Amphibious Assault and Connectors Program Office. The SSC program is made up of the Textron Systems [TXT] Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)-100, which aims to replace the Navy’s aging fleet of LCACs. The Navy received LCAC-104 in December, which is set to move to Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Panama City, Fla., for testing and evaluation. The new craft is designed to operate for 30 years and transport 60-to-70 tons of surface force personnel, weapons, equipment and cargo at over-the horizon distances from amphibious ships. The Navy plans to ultimately procure 72 total LCAC-100s, largely built at Textron’s New Orleans shipyard. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for the SSCs is planned in 2023. (Source: Defense Daily 01/13/22)
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