Supply and cargo operations are a vital part of military missions at sea and ashore. In case of expeditionary warfare, there is a need to have the right equipment at the right place at the right time, and a failure to transport them hard and fast could mean a failure of the mission. For such operations, Textron Systems believes it has a better solution than traditional single-hull ships – the SECAT.

A High-Speed Connector Between Land And Sea

The SECAT (stands for Surface Effect Cargo Amphibious Transport) makes use of Textron’s Surface Effect Ship (SES) technology to give the United States Navy and US Marine advanced logistic capabilities to execute Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) as well as Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO). It should work in conjunction with Textron’s Common Unmanned Surface Vehicle and Ship-to-Shore Connector.

According to Textron, the SECAT is essentially a survivable, low-profile, high-speed connector (between sea and land). The SECAT boasts an aluminum catamaran hull featuring flexible seals on the bow and stern. These seals contain airbags between the SECAT’s onboard hulls, allowing for reduced resistance during high-speed maneuvers. This design also makes the SECAT less susceptible to underwater shockwave and sea mines, as well as submarine targeting and torpedoes.

High-Speed Transport For 500 Tons Of Cargo

Textron employed a catamaran design for SECAT to ensure that the vessel has great maneuverability, speed, and low resistance despite hauling heavy loads. As per Textron, the SECAT has the capacity to carry up to 500 tons of cargo while moving at high speeds (50 knots) over 500 nautical miles. This means the SECAT is able to accomplish its missions even on the high seas.

The modern design of the SECAT allows the craft to perform various functions. Aside from being versatile enough to carry a wide range of cargo, the SECAT is capable of at sea rolling stock cargo transfer, “feet dry” cargo offload/load ashore as well as high speed shallow and deepwater operations.

Other Physical Features Of The SECAT

The only single computer image of the SECAT provides a clue on the capabilities and other features of this cargo transport. It features a wide space in the middle, which should allow the SECAT to transport a wide variety of land-based heavy armored vehicles such as tanks and armored personnel carriers. It even has a landing site for a helicopter.

The right front section of the SECAT reveals a radar system on top. The left front section, meanwhile, features a defensive autonomous weapon system.