An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once in the Works with the U.S. and Japan

6/18/2021 An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan

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An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan Grumman and Shin Meiwa worked together to propose an aircraf that combined aspects of a jet-powered flying-boat with an air cushion vehicle.

BY THOMAS NEWDICK JUNE 17, 2021

THE WAR ZONE

JOHN ALDAZ COLLECTION VIA TWITTER

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THOMAS NEWDICK View Thomas Newdick's Articles  @CombatAir

70-ton jet-powered maritime patrol aircraf that could operate from A runways peppered with bomb craters, unprepared airstrips, scrub, water, or even ice? The Grumman/Shin Meiwa ASR-544-4 proposal could have provided Japan, as well as other operators, with a remarkably versatile, high- performance submarine-hunter. Sadly, perhaps, this Cold War project never made it beyond the drawing board, but it was a radical concept that warrants further examination.

The joint American/Japanese program was based around the potential of a novel concept that had been developed by Bell Aerosystems, the Air Cushion Landing System, or ACLS, which was apparently frst tested on a Lake LA-4 light amphibious aircraf.

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JOHN ALDAZ COLLECTION VIA TWITTER A desktop model of the Grumman/Shin Meiwa ASR-544-4 in U.S. Navy markings.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were a number of experiments to ft aircraf with the rubber-raf-like ACLS gear, which promised to make possible operations from almost any surface. In this way, an aircraf ftted with ACLS could be truly amphibious without the requirement for wheeled landing gear, skis, foats, or even a boat-like hull.

The ACLS employed an infatable bag under the aircraf that efectively transformed it into an air cushion vehicle once on the ground (or water). This was infated using compressed air, released through thousands of nozzles on the inside of the rubber skirt, creating a layer of air that the aircraf literally foated upon. Integral ‘pillows’ were deployed to slow the aircraf down when landing, acting as brakes. When the aircraf was parked or foating on water, an internal bladder sealed of the nozzles.

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WATCH JAPAN'S GIANT AMPHIBIOUS MC-130J CHINA'S AG600 YOU CAN BUY TH  CHANNELS ▼ US-2 AMPHIBIOUS TRANSPORT IS ON AMPHIBIOUS FLYING WORLD’S LARGE FLYING BOAT LAND IN AN SPECIAL OPERATIONS BOAT TAKES TO THE OPERATIONAL FLY AMAZINGLY SHORT COMMAND'S WISHLIST SKIES ON ITS MAIDEN BOAT FOR ABOUT DISTANCE By Thomas Newdick and FLIGHT PRICE OF A P-5 By Tyler Rogoway Joseph Trevithick By Tyler Rogoway MUSTANG Posted in THE WAR ZONE Posted in THE WAR ZONE Posted in THE WAR ZONE By Tyler Rogoway Posted in THE WAR Z

To test the idea for military applications, the U.S. Air Force and Canada’s Department of Industry, Trade and Commerce teamed up with Bell to adapt a de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Bufalo twin-turboprop short takeof and landing transport with ACLS. Two additional turboprop engines were ftted to provide compressed air to infate the ACLS. Known as the XC-8A and nicknamed the “Pufalo,” the modifed air-cushion Bufalo frst took of using ACLS in March 1975. It’s unclear, however, if it ever landed with a fully infated system. Overall, though, it seems the main concern with the project was the service life of the aircraf’s rubber airbag, which proved prone to wear and tear on harder surfaces.

BELL The XC-8A “Pufalo” taxies on its ACLS gear.

Meanwhile, the ACLS was being eyed by Grumman and Shin Meiwa as a way of greatly improving the versatility of their planned maritime patrol aircraf. In the ASR-544-4 proposal of 1973, the aircraf would likely have been used mainly

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from the sea, but it was expected to be able to tackle other surfaces too,  CHANNELS ▼ including improved and unimproved runways.

With an elegant 104-foot high-mounted swept wing and a swept T-tail, the ASR- 544-4 was broadly reminiscent of the Martin P6M Seamaster jet-powered fying- boat prototype of the 1950s. The engine installation was unusual, with a pair of turbofans mounted above the wings, close to the wing root, and a third engine buried in the tail. The exhausts of the two over-wing engines could be defected 15 degrees downward to improve takeof performance.

The 111-foot fuselage had space for a crew of 10, together with their workstations, a rest area, bunk, galley, and lavatory. Mission equipment was planned to include radar in the nose, magnetic anomaly detector in the wingtip foats for fnding submerged submarines, plus internal sonobuoys. Two separate lower-fuselage weapons bays would have carried up to eight torpedoes, while four underwing stations were also provided for anti-ship missiles.

JOHN ALDAZ COLLECTION VIA TWITTER

Finally, the ACLS below the fuselage would have been 44 feet long and 24 feet wide, with a maximum depth of 6.7 feet, and would have retracted fully into the fuselage when not in use. The air needed to infate the cushion would have https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41142/an-air-cushion-patrol-seaplane-was-once-in-the-works-with-the-u-s-and-japan 5/18 6/18/2021 An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan

come from two “common power packages,” located in the rear fuselage, these  CHANNELS ▼ same engines also providing bleed air for the boundary-layer control system, which streamed gases over the upper surfaces of the wing for improved takeof and landing performance. Takeof from calm water with a headwind was expected to be achieved in 21 seconds, the aircraf lifing into the air afer a distance of 1,700 feet.

JOHN ALDAZ COLLECTION VIA TWITTER An underside view of the ASR-544-4 reveals the inflated ACLS and the fuselage weapons bays fore and af.

Performance-wise, the ASR-544-4 would have had a mission radius of 1,400 nautical miles and a maximum stores load of over 12,000 pounds. The planned top speed was an impressive Mach 0.9, which would have allowed it to take up its position on station far quicker than its propeller-driven counterparts.

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GRUMMAN A three-view drawing and specification for the ASR-544-4.

GRUMMAN Schematic cutaway view of the Grumman/Shin Meiwa design.

It’s unclear if there was a specifc requirement that the ASR-544-4 was aimed at, but the design was expected to be ready for service in 1980, which would have provided the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) with a more capable successor to the four-turboprop Shin Meiwa PS-1 and US-1, anti-submarine and https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41142/an-air-cushion-patrol-seaplane-was-once-in-the-works-with-the-u-s-and-japan 7/18 6/18/2021 An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan

search and rescue amphibians, respectively, which entered service in the early  CHANNELS ▼ 1970s. Interestingly, while the US-1 was a true amphibian, with a boat hull, foats, and wheeled landing gear, the PS-1 was a fying boat that could only alight on water. These aircraf also had a separate engine to provide power for the boundary-layer control system, similar to what was planned for the ASR- 544-4.

ShinMaywa US-1A

With a long history of amphibian and fying boat manufacture and service, it seems likely Japan was looking closely at more advanced aircraf in this class by the 1970s. Had the ASR-544-4 been chosen for production, it could perhaps have replaced the land-based SP-2H and P-2J Neptune as well as the earlier fying-boats. Instead, the Neptunes were eventually replaced from the early 1980s by P-3C Orions, a more conventional four-turboprop patroller.

Meanwhile, the JMSDF has continued to operate both land-based fxed-wing patrol aircraf and amphibians, the most recent in the latter category being the impressive four-turboprop ShinMaywa US-2, a handful of which are in service. The impressive ability of the US-2 to take of from short stretches of water is something that The War Zone has looked at in the past. As for the P-3, afer

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upgrade, the surviving JMSDF feet is now being slowly replaced by indigenous,  CHANNELS ▼ four-jet Kawasaki P-1 maritime patrollers.

JAPANESE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE Kawasaki P-1.

However, it’s hard to see that the U.S. Navy, which had already turned its back on patrol amphibians by the late 1960s, would have found a role for the ASR- 544-4, although it would have ofered a compelling performance advantage, at least in terms of speed and runway independence, compared to the P-3.

While the promised performance and unique operating attributes of the ASR- 544-4 are undeniable, it would likely have been expensive to procure and operate. Furthermore, with fve turbine engines of two diferent types, maintenance may have been a challenge. Today, Russia is the only military operator of a jet-powered amphibian of any kind, the Beriev Be-200, with the frst example delivered to the navy last year. Intended primarily for search and rescue, this aircraf is broadly similar in size and confguration to the ASR-544- 4, but of course uses a more conventional boat-like hull plus wheeled undercarriage, rather than air cushion landing gear.

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UNITED AIRCRAFT CORPORATION The first Be-200ES amphibian for the Russian Navy.

Keeping the ASR-544-4 serviceable would have been further complicated by its lack of landing gear, likely making some kind of beaching gear (as used on the PS-1) essential whenever it was on land for prolonged periods, with the ACLS uninfated. Even the process of the crew entering and disembarking would have been somewhat tricky, not to mention refueling and rearming the aircraf.

Ultimately, the ACLS did not fnd any applications that were enticing enough to put it into testing and production, although it continued to be revisited in the United States and elsewhere into the 1990s. Today, the concept is being ofered as a means of operating airships from various diferent surfaces.

A Soviet concept from the 1980s that added ACLS-like landing gear to the Antonov An-14 utility transport:

AN-14Sh – “My hovercraft is full of...aircr…

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Interestingly, the ACLS could also provide a solution to the ongoing challenge of creating an amphibious version of the MC-130J Commando II multi-mission combat transport, an idea that the U.S. military is now looking at again closely. There have been previous studies of C-130s using air cushion landing gear and it’s just possible that the same concept might once again fnd its niche.

LOCKHEED An ACLS-equipped C-130 concept.

In the meantime, the design of the ASR-544-4 stands testament to a bold approach to rethinking the problem of creating a truly amphibious aircraf.

Hat-tip to Caesar for alerting us to this project. Follow them on Twitter here. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41142/an-air-cushion-patrol-seaplane-was-once-in-the-works-with-the-u-s-and-japan 11/18 6/18/2021 An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan

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G goyohi Just Now Just order a bunch of US-2’s & move on..

T Thanos_Massias 3 hours ago Bell Aerospace LA-4 ACLS (modifed Lake LA-4 Buccaneer) testing: https://youtu.be/DIL1GzS4e-I This flm is probably the one mentioned in this 1975 report: http://contrails.iit.edu/fles/original/AFFDLTR75-135.pdf

C CynicalMe 6 hours ago Sorry in advance. This looks like it would be good for your aircraft - if it had hemorrhoids.

Kyle Gunn THE DRIVE STAFF 7 hours ago Wonder if they've thought about adding an ACLS to the MV-22 or V-280.

BrizzIe 8 hours ago We need hyper-sonic sea planes! STAT!!!1

Reply https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/41142/an-air-cushion-patrol-seaplane-was-once-in-the-works-with-the-u-s-and-japan 15/18 6/18/2021 An Air Cushion Patrol Seaplane Was Once In The Works With The U.S. And Japan Tempestzzzz ▼ 8 hours ago  CHANNELS

Seaplane=maintenance intensive=$$$

They do look cool though

4WardHistorian 9 hours ago All the more reason to seriously revisit the Convair R3Y-2 design (albeit with a 21st Century propulsion system).

Of course General Dynamics probably wouldn't want the contract, after the whole 'Flying Dorito' debacle.

foo bar 4WardHistorian 8 hours ago Yah, that Allison turboprop powerplant killed of a number of promising aircraft programs.

Rachel 10 hours ago When the tyranny of distance applies. In order to provide real airpower where it’s needed, the United States doesn’t need a feet of slow and stealthy F-35s standing by on airstrips across friendly African nations–it needs fast air platforms with great fuel range and loitering capabilities that can reach operators in need, provide air support as necessary, and still make it back to an airstrip, speed has already proven handy in combat in the uncontested airspaces. “I remember in Afghanistan where troops needed help across the entire country and I could go 1.2 Mach all the way there and still have enough gas to hang out when I got there,” Major “Coyote” Laney, a B-1B pilot instructor from the 28th Bomb Squadron explained.

This chart ofers some visual context regarding the vast size of the African continent. It would take even America’s fastest fghters multiple hours and frequent refuels to cross the continent.

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Reply 1

KinjaRefugee Rachel 7 hours ago Wait! Are we invading Africa now too!?

Damnit. Maybe fewer wars would be a good idea.

M MB01 10 hours ago Fascinating article. Wasnt aware of this before. Thanks.

JS Dreyer 12 hours ago As Thomas points out, Shin Meiwa makes basically the best amphibious aircraft in the world right now.

Pierre Delecto 18 hours ago This looks straight out of GI Joe or Ace Combat. Really cool and something that would be at the least great for Spec ops. Reply 5 ArmchairExpert Pierre Delecto 18 hours ago As I was reading this, I thought, “man, this looks like something from an old Red Alert game.” Awesome! Reply 5 Show 1 more reply

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