3 former Royal Marines hovercraft, which have been gaining attention in Ryde for the past few months, have been sold to the Pakistan Navy.
The Landing Craft Air Cushion hovercraft were decommissioned from service in 2021, with Griffon Marine – owners of Hovertravel – being awarded a contract to refurbish the craft.
Due to a lack of space at Griffon’s Portchester base, 2 of the 3 craft have been located on the pad at Hovertravel’s Ryde terminal in recent times.
Now, the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Equipment & Support arm has sold the trio of hovercraft to Pakistan.
They’ve been identified as being well-suited to Pakistan’s maritime environment, offering highly mobile, shallow‑water operational capability for operations such as coastal patrol, humanitarian assistance, and rapid deployment missions.
Commodore Richard Whalley, Head of Exports and Sales at DE&S, has said:
“This sale continues a long history of excellent defence equipment sales with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and reaffirms our positive defence relations. By transferring these proven assets, we are supporting the Pakistan Navy’s ability to enhance its coastal and amphibious operations, supporting our shared goal of maintaining global security as well as providing a return for the UK’s defence budget.”
A Pakistan Navy spokesperson has said:
“The Pakistan Navy values its defence cooperation with the UK. This is evident through joint exercises, training exchanges, defence acquisitions and collaborative efforts in maritime security. Our recent acquisition of hovercraft from the UK will enhance our defence capabilities, particularly in maritime security and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) Operations.”
Griffon Marine will continue to provide in-service support for the hovercraft under its own contract with the Pakistan Navy.
W t f are we helping Pakistan