New Fast Landing Craft

BMT Nigel Gee and BMT Defence Services, subsidiaries of BMT Group Ltd, have recently unveiled their new design for a highly capable Fast Landing Craft (FLC). Contracted by Defence Equipment & Support the BMT team developed a novel, tri-bow monohull platform using a parent hull-form derived from an internal BMT research and development programme, which included model tests to optimise performance.

Made from aluminium for light weight and strength, BMT's specially developed FLC hull-form design allows:

• High-speed, heavy-payload operations (up to 28.5 knots fully fuelled and carrying four all-terrain vehicles, or up to 22 knots fully fuelled and carrying a main battle tank)
• Minimum speed loss in rougher seas (less than 1 knot speed reduction in Sea State 4)
• Excellent sea-keeping and manoeuvrability characteristics
• On-beach stability

Other features include:

• Three high-speed MTU diesel engines coupled to waterjets, providing reliability and redundancy
• Dependable, easily accessible machinery