Military Hovercrafts

[DRG]

Has anyone on this forum had any direct experience with military hovercrafts or know someone who has ?

Don

[Suhiir]

Define "direct experience".
I've been on one, gotten the two-bit tour and a ride around Norfolk Harbor.

[DRG]

I was looking for someone with operational experience ( or knew someone ) who had trained on them and could answer questions on their actual capabilities on various terrain.

Don

[Suhiir]

Well . . .
They can clear a 3 foot obstacle.
Are basically worthless in forest, can't fit between the trees, no actual ground contact to give them the ability to push over a tree bigger then say 2-3 inches.
Swamps, water, snow, sand desert, parking lots, basically anything pretty much flat is all the same as far as they're concerned.
At slow speeds (10 mph or less) they maneuver fairly well but the faster they travel the worse their ability to maneuver.

I still don't claim to be an expert but I hope that helps.
If you have some specific question(s) I'll do my best to answer or give you an honest "I haven't a clue" for an answer.

[MarkSheppard]

I just remembered I have a copy of Jane's Surface Skimmers (aka Hovercraft) from the 1980s. I can look up all the other hovercraft in it...