“This is a dramatically updated version of the Soviet-era Zubr-class military hovercraft built in Ukraine. The main engine will be made in Russia and the craft will carry a new weapons system. To top it all off, the new hovercraft will look better too,” Dmitry Tsygankov, the head of marketing and technical information at Almaz, told RIA Novosti on Tuesday.
The Soviet design Zubr-class air-cushioned landing craft is the world’s largest hovercraft, designed for shore landing assault units.
The Zubr hovercraft has a cargo area of 400 square meters and a fuel capacity of 56 tons.
It can carry three main battle tanks (up to 150 tons), or ten armored fighting vehicles with 140 troops (up to 131 tons), or eight armored personnel carriers of total mass up to 115 tons, or eight amphibious tanks or up to 500 troops (with 360 troops in the cargo compartment).
At full displacement the ship is capable of negotiating up to 5-degree slopes on non-equipped shores and 1.6m-high vertical walls.
The Zubr remains seaworthy in conditions up to Sea State 4 and has a cruising speed of 30-40 knots.
