[This article has been updated. Original publish date: August 1, 2024]
The Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) is the next generation Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicles. Its mission is to land surface assault elements supporting operational maneuver from the sea at over-the-horizon distances while operating from amphibious ships and mobile landing platforms. The SSC provides increased performance, enhanced reliability, and maintainability.
As a partner with Textron Systems on the SSC, L3Harris has received contracts for 13 U.S. Navy command, control, communications, computers and navigation (C4N) systems. The C4N contract includes manufacturing and technical support for cockpit equipment, navigation systems, internal and external communications, machinery control and power transformers, which are instrumental to the craft's performance. To date, L3Harris has delivered 24 C4N systems whereas Textron has delivered 16 fully functional SSCs to the Navy for fleet operations. The Navy's program of record plans for 73 fleet assets over the next 10+ years.
The SSC program will significantly enhance the Navy and Marine Corps team’s capability to execute various amphibious assault missions, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response. SSCs are primarily used to haul vehicles, heavy equipment, personnel, and supplies through varied environmental conditions from amphibious ships to over-the-beach. The SSC is a high-speed, fully amphibious landing craft operated by a crew of 5 and capable of carrying up to 74 short tons at a speed of 35+ knots.
L3Harris is proud of its partnership with Textron to deliver the most advanced technology to modernize the U.S. Navy force from sea to shore.
