Anguis-Class Ground Effect Craft

Anguis-Class Ground Effect Craft

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The Anguis-Class Ground Effect Craft is a Ground Effect Vehicle in service with the Reikian Navy Naval Infantry. Designed between 1975 and 1985 by the Kostarlkeep Naval Design Bureau, in is believed to have entered service supposedly in 1987. The Reikian Navy currently operates 4 vessels.

Development History

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The vessel was designed to be a rapid amphibious transport to deliver naval infantry to a destination and rapidly unload them. It was decided that the vehicles should be armed to deal with threats near the landing site. Many details on development are unknown, with no chief designer listed and on limited information about the design history. Originally development was held at the Nordkeep Nautical Design Yard, but moved to a special facility in Kostarlkeep to be designed by the Kostarlkeep Naval Design Bureau. Development was finished around 1985, and the vessel was first shown to the world in the 1998 Reikian Navy Recruitment Film. 5 vessels are known to have been completed, and according to the Reikian Defence Institute one is currently under design experimentation on the east coast.

It was speculated that the Anguis-Class was a continuation of the Telum-Class GEC. Although many design lessons where taken, a 2007 report from the Reikian Defence Institute Department of Naval Warfare Study concluded that there are too few design similarities to quantify a continuation. It goes into further detail with the fact that the Telum was designed on the west not east coast and even states "...the process of which the rivets where placed and treated, and their size, displays that completely different techniques where used."

Design

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The vessel has internal space for at least 300 personnel, or supposedly upwards of eight ITR-4 or ITR-5 IFVs. All vehicles and cargo exit through a rear cargo door/ramp. Infantry in the even of rapid exit can leap out on to the ground via twelve utility hatches. When landing on shorelines the vessel has four bow mounted inflatable cushioning packets.

The vessel uses eight 8x TFU-995M3 Turbojets mounted behind the bridge, which generate 130 kN of thrust each. There are two large wings in the vessels side which have a downwards curved ends to better generate lift. Radar and targeting equipment are all mounted on the tail, with six fixed missile tubes in pairs along the roof of the vessel. The tubes ae likely carrying TGM-445 anti-shipping missiles and can also launch a tactical nuclear warhead. The entirety of the vessel is protected by a NBC suit. There are two twin 25mm cannons, one mounted in a fully rotational remote turret just ahead of the foremost tubes, and one below the tail.

LDU-367 RNS Ivan R. Vrosiloseves Refit
The third vessel to be completed and fielded underwent some refitting to become a hospital vessel. It received a second internal floor and had it's anti-shipping missile tubes replaced with anti-aircraft weaponry.

List of Anguis-class Vessels

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Ship	Number	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Notes
Damiel M. Sanaskorft	LDU-232	Kostarlkeep Shipyards	1980s?	1987	1987
Farist	LDU-317	Unknown	Unknown	1996	1997
Ivan R. Vrosiloseves	LDU-367	Unknown	1989?	1991	1991	Converted to expeditionary hospital ship.
Julian U. Dmitrii	LDU-374	Unknown	Unknown	1996	1997
Veit R. Friedemann	LDU-676	Unknown	Unknown	2001	2001