Lance Missile for naval use

[uk 75]

I recall seeing in a little paperback book with artwork on "Rockets and Missiles" from.1970 or so a drawing of an SRN5 hovercraft equipped either side of the cabin with Lance battlefield missiles.
I have the book on US Amphibious ships by Friedman and could not find if this version of Lance was ever proposed.

 

[Jemiba]

Thanks for this reminder ! And I even found it (the German edition) on the very first attempt !
It's called Sea Lance and credited with liquid fuel, inertial navigation system, conventional or nuclear
warheads, and a range of 50 km.

 

[Hood]

Any idea who was behind the idea to put in on an SRN5?

 

[uk 75]

John Taylor had form for imaginary weapons fits in articles and books like his Concorde with three Blue Steels in the 1968 RAF Yearbook contemporary to this book

 

[Archibald]

and so perhaps the "Sea Lance"

Of the lambs ? (runs for cover)

 

[Archibald]

Sorry, I mean the LAMPS - helicopters...

 

[Pioneer]

Thanks for this reminder ! And I even found it (the German edition) on the very first attempt !
It's called Sea Lance and credited with liquid fuel, inertial navigation system, conventional or nuclear
warheads, and a range of 50 km.

Somewhat reminds me of a Matchbox diecast missile equipped hovercraft I had as a kid!
As you pushed it along, both the radar and prop turned.

Regards
Pioneer

 

[T. A. Gardner]

I seriously doubt that it could have been deployed at all on an ACV of the sort from the Vietnam era. Each Lance missile weighs about 3,000 lbs., and including a launch system for it I'd guess it'd be closer to 4,000 lbs. for just a single launcher.

The entire ACV weighed in at about 15,500 lbs. including nearly 1,000 lbs. of armor. Because the armor was deemed marginally effective by the crews and had a seriously detrimental effect on the performance of the craft, it was often removed in part or whole. The armament was normally just 2 x .50 and 2 x .30 machineguns.

Trying to wedge a 20 foot long missile onto a 40 foot long hovercraft doesn't sound like it's going to work either. The picture shown above with two offset to one side is absolutely ludicrous. The missiles look undersized in relationship to the ACV, two with a launcher would likely be more than half the weight of the entire craft, and offset like that it would have a serious effect on stability. Putting a twin launcher on each side would be completely out of the question as this would approach the entire weight of the craft without the launchers.