PACV / ACV (Pac-Vee / Monster)

History

The PACV ("Patrol Hover Vehicle") is a patrol hovercraft best known for its involvement in the Vietnam War under the flag of the U.S. Navy and later the Army. The system was tested with good results, but only in a total of seven production units, including four experimental USN PACV boats and three slightly modified Army vehicles, named "ACVs" or "Hover Vehicles" (some sources say). Only six PACVs/ACVs were produced in total). The series is known by the nickname "Pac Vee" and the U.S.

Navy named "PACV". The Viet Cong were so terrified of the PACV/ACV's capabilities that they gave it the rightful nickname "Monster".

Development

The PACV retains the origins of the original hovercraft design manufactured by the British company Saunders-Roe. Saunders-Roe has a long history of manufacturing aircraft and boats since its founding in 1929. In 1964, the merger with Westland Aircraft (later Agusta-Westland) officially ended Saunders-Roe as a company, but the merger created the British Hovercraft Group. The American PACV was developed from the original SR product of the Saunders-Roe/UK Hovercraft Company. N5 under the Bell Aerosystems brand.

Bell Aerosystems calls its new militarized product the SK-5. As operations in the Vietnam War increased, the U.S. Navy became aware of this machine and decided to purchase a small number of these new machines for theater evaluation. Her sailors train in the waters off Coronado, California, near San Diego.

Design improvements have been made based on feedback.

Classified as a hovercraft, the PACV is able to skim the surface while accumulating considerable forward speed with the unusual agility of a surface patrol vessel. With a displacement of nearly 15,600 pounds, the PACV measures 38 feet 10 inches from bow to stern. Its beam is reported to be 23 feet 9 inches. The maximum speed is 60 knots and the range is up to 165 nautical miles.

PACV is accurately described as "one-third helicopter, one-third aircraft and one-third ship".

PACV Tour

The PACV has a broad and strong appearance, mainly characterized by its long-span upper hull and inflated air-cushioned skirts. The crew compartment is located in the central pod aft of the bow and extends to the left and right amidships.

A GE turboshaft turbine engine mounted directly aft of the crew compartment drives a raised, three-bladed, variable-pitch, fully reversible Hamilton propeller. The propeller system forces ventilation between two vertical fins connected by a horizontal plane, allowing for smooth lateral movement and forward propulsion.

The PACV provides vertical lift from a 12-blade, 7-foot diameter centrifugal fan that forms a horizontal lift system. This arrangement serves the PACV well, allowing the nimble system to traverse swampy and muddy surfaces with relative ease and speed.

The crew compartment has windows on all sides except the stern (this area is occupied by the engine). The radar system is installed on the roof of the nacelle. The position of the rear gunner was above the nacelle and in front of the radar field. The pilot sits in the front of the crew compartment, offset to the right, and has an impressive view of what's going on ahead.

The radar operator sat opposite him and remained in the front left of the crew compartment. Access is primarily through a flip-up hinged door system installed at the front of the cabin, which separates the pilot and radar operator's seating area.

The upper part of the fuselage works well as a surface for carrying passengers and equipment.

It's not uncommon for PACVs to have "shark teeth" painted on the front of their skirts - apparently a mind game on the Viet Cong they'll be fighting.

PACV/ACV weapons

The armament is concentrated around one (or two) Browning M2s. The 50 caliber machine gun was mounted on a swivel mount above the cab. This weapon has been supplemented. Thirty general purpose M60 caliber machine guns are mounted on both sides of the vehicle. In addition, a 40mm grenade launcher and an additional M60 machine gun can be mounted in a remote-controlled position aft.

Additionally, PACV crew members can use any personal weapon they will use on a given mission, including rifles, automatic weapons and grenades. In addition to the weapons of the base crew, the PACV can use any weapon carried by the passengers. Many passengers prefer to have their guns ready outside the car. This makes disembarking easier and allows passengers to use their weapons to support the crew.

Overall, this range of weapon options put the lethal water system on par with other patrol boats operating in Vietnam at the time.

PACV in action

Sometime in 1966, the first PACVs were sent to Vietnamese waters and deployed throughout the Mekong Delta with good results. The PACV serves as an experimental evaluation unit and is part of Task Force 116, forming PACV 107 Division.

Combat missions soon led to the addition of additional armor to support the PACV's crew and sensitive subsystems. PACVs continued to operate from wood and until early 1967 when they were recalled for an overhaul. These U.S. Marines were eventually demoted to government positions by the U.S.

Coast Guard after their trips to Vietnam ended.

Initial operations have shown that the PACV is an effective weapon against the Viet Cong, especially on soft, wet terrain where other USN and U.S. Army vehicles cannot travel. If there's anything negative about the PACV's legacy, it's the amount of noise its turbo engine makes. Therefore, the range of PACV is limited to some extent.

Additionally, the PACV's internal components proved too complex for the daily rigors of river warfare in Vietnam, and both the environment and combat operations could render its subsystems relatively easy to inoperate. However, the PACV's speed, traversal capability, and firepower are unmatched, and these advantages outweigh -- at least for now -- the system's inherent shortcomings.

PACVs have proven effective in engaging an enemy by sheer force and have worked well for blocking known supply lines, patrolling enemy waterways, serving in a fire support role, and evacuating distressed allies or special forces.

US Army ACV

The US Army worked with Bell to develop their own version of the Navy PACV. The resulting design became the ACV, with a longer and wider appearance and reinforced side panels. Front access doors have been widened and weapon carrying capacity has been increased. The U.S.

Army used their ACVs against the Viet Cong with equal success throughout the "Plains of Reeds", taking on training, reconnaissance, supply, and attack rolesoften serving in pairs to provide the best air cover given The best effect is to achieve combat service by helicopter. Army ACVs fought with the U.S.

9th Infantry Division and were deployed from the Dong Tam area (later from Ben Luc). ACVs were deployed to Vietnam as three examples in May 1968, hull numbers ACV 901, 902 and 903.

ACV 901 and 902 are fully loaded attack variants with a back. 50 caliber machine guns, side-mounted M60 machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers, while the ACV 903 was set up as an armored transporter for M60 machine guns only.

The ACV 901 was ultimately grounded for eight months due to an accident, and the three ships were not deployed simultaneously until late 1969. ACV 901 and 902 were eventually destroyed in January and August 1970, respectively, while ACV 903 was eventually returned to the state government for display at the Transportation Museum.

End

Despite its usefulness in combat, the PACV/ACV program was eventually discontinued. A PACV/ACV is a unique vehicle that requires its own unique training.

Twenty-four employees form an operating unit, and the training time per month is about 14 days, during which at least one PACV/ACV needs to be left. ACV crews were called in to train their own reservists.

Additionally, the mechanical requirements of the PACV/ACV for routine and combat-related maintenance require significant attention, and logistical support must come from distant government sources.

Today's PACV

PACV-4 is the only known surviving PACV system. She served twice in the Vietnam War before serving with the Canadian Coast Guard after the war.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing