L-Cat Landing Catamaran

CNIM
Patrick Ehrhard

By Patrick Ehrhard, Defence Systems Marketing Director, CNIM

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Longstanding major shipbuilder, CNIM now concentrates on engineering and manufacturing high performance mechanical systems for the armed forces and aerospace industry.

CNIM's L-CAT (landing catamaran) is a highly versatile ship that combines two operating modes depending on the position of its central platform. In the cruise mode, the platform is raised and the L-CAT features the speed and seaworthiness of an up to date catamaran.

L-Cat Landing Catamaran

In the landing mode, the central platform is lowered and the L-CAT features an outstanding reduced draft. Switching from one mode to the other can be done anytime at sea.

L-CAT comes in several versions:

  • L-CAT 100 can operate out of any modern LPD and provides unmatched throughput in landing operations. Its payload represents typically an infantry or border guard section, depending on user's inventory.
  • L-CAT 200's autonomy and speed make it the fastest available LCU. On disaster relief operations, one single L-CAT 200 can load a field engineering section plus a first aid post and deliver a comprehensive set of relief equipment in one trip.
  • L-CAT P combines the monitoring capacity of a patrol boat with the landing capabilities of the L-CAT, thus enabling the user to land an intervention unit immediately upon detection of suspicious activities. Actual equipment is tailored to user's needs.

L-Cat Landing Catamaran

The L-CAT construction relies on conventional, state of the art technologies. Its design makes it accessible to any vehicle, road gauge, in a roll on - roll off mode. It can shuttle indifferently between a harbour, a mother ship at sea or an unprepared shore.

L-Cat Landing Catamaran

Patrick Ehrhard

Author Information - Patrick Ehrhard

Defence Systems Marketing Director

Patrick Ehrhard served with the French DGA until 1998. His assignments dealt with program management, European cooperation and defence analysis. He resigned in 1998 as a Colonel and developed his entrepreneurial skills in France and in the USA. He joined CNIM in December 2003. Patrick Ehrhard graduated from Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France) and ENSTA (Paris, France)

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