# Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) — Program Element 0605220N

**Program element:** 0605220N  
**Component:** U.S. Navy  
**Appropriation:** 1319 — RDT&E, Navy  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605220N

## Summary

U.S. Navy funding falls 72% to a $4.5M request in FY2027 (down from a FY2026 peak), before stepping down 68% across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 6.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 15.9 |
| FY2027 | Request | 4.5 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 1.6 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 1.3 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1.4 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 1.4 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 4.5 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 4.5 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 4.5 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 4.5 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (3)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3133 | Ship to Shore Connectors Contract Design | 4.4 | 7.3 | 3.3 | −55% |
| 3137 | SSC Construction | 1.7 | 0.0 | 1.2 | — |
| 9999 | Congressional Adds | 0.0 | 8.7 | 0.0 | −100% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project 3133 — Ship to Shore Connectors Contract Design

This project provides the Preliminary and Contract design and Class test efforts for the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) Program. The SSC is an aluminum air-cushion vehicle (hovercraft) designed to enhance the Navy and Marine Corps' capability to execute a broad spectrum of missions from humanitarian assistance to major combat. Its primary role is to efficiently transport weapon systems, equipment, cargo, and personnel of the Marine Air/Ground Task Force. As a high-speed, amphibious craft, it projects power by being fully compatible with all allied amphibious ships, while performing assaults and operational maneuvers from ship to shore and across the beach. SSC provides the functional replacement for the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) Class of ships, which began reaching extended service life in 2015. For FY 2015 and beyond, this project will provide for Class Test and Evaluation of components and systems, as well as all programmatic effort and support activities necessary for the development and execution of Class Test and Evaluation (T&E) plans and programs.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ship to Shore Connectors Contract Design | 4.4 | 7.3 | 3.3 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 3137 — SSC Construction

This project funds the Ship to Shore Connector (SSC) Engineering & Manufacturing Development phase which includes Detail Design and Construction, Product Support, Government Furnished Equipment (GFE), Program support, and Outfitting and Post Delivery. The lead craft will be maintained as a test and training platform throughout its life cycle. The SSC is an aluminum air-cushion vehicle (hovercraft) designed to enhance the Navy and Marine Corps' capability to execute a broad spectrum of missions from humanitarian assistance to major combat. Its primary role is to efficiently transport weapon systems, equipment, cargo, and personnel of the Marine Air/Ground Task Force. As a high-speed, amphibious craft, it projects power by being fully compatible with all allied amphibious ships, while performing assaults and operational maneuvers from ship to shore and across the beach. SSC provides the functional replacement for the Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) Class of ships, which began reaching extended service life in 2015. Funding for this effort was previously executed under PE 0604567N.

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SSC Construction | 1.7 | 0.0 | 1.2 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

### Project 9999 — Congressional Adds

This project provides funding for Ship to Shore Connector class propeller qualification and production including various improvement efforts to establish CONUS propeller production stability. The SSC is an aluminum air-cushion vehicle (hovercraft) designed to enhance the Navy and Marine Corps' capability to execute a broad spectrum of missions from humanitarian assistance to major combat. Its primary role is to efficiently transport weapon systems, equipment, cargo, and personnel of the Marine Air/Ground Task Force. As a high-speed, amphibious craft, it projects power by being fully compatible with all allied amphibious ships, while performing assaults and operational maneuvers from ship to shore and across the beach.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Government labs & warfare centers | 90% | 4.1 |
| Other / unspecified | 10.0% | 0.5 |

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## Mission & acquisition strategy

The Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC), also known as the LCAC 100 class, is the direct, one-for-one replacement for the U.S. Navy's aging fleet of Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) vehicles, which have an average age of 32 years and began reaching their extended service life in 2015. It will replace legacy LCAC capacity in enabling the rapid response of the Amphibious Ready Group and Marine Expeditionary Unit operations. The SSC is an aluminum air-cushion vehicle (hovercraft) designed to enhance the Navy and Marine Corps' capability to execute a broad spectrum of missions from humanitarian assistance to major combat.

The Test and Training craft (Craft 100) and LCACs 101-115 have delivered. Craft 100 was procured and constructed with RDTEN. LCAC 101 was awarded with RDTEN and transferred to SCN for completion. The original Detail Design and Construction contract included options for construction of an additional seven SCN craft (LCAC 102-108). The FY 2017 through FY 2020 follow-on contract awarded construction of an additional fifteen SCN craft (LCAC 109-123). The FY 2022 through FY 2025 follow-on contract awarded construction of an additional thirteen SCN craft (LCAC 124-136). The program will award two additional craft in FY 2026.

## Related program elements

- [0204413N — Amphibious Tactical Supt Units](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0204413N) (Navy)
- [0605154N — Center For Naval Analyses](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605154N) (Navy)
- [0401119F — C-5 Airlift Squadrons (IF)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0401119F) (Air Force)
- [0602134A — Counter Improvised-Threat Advanced Studies](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0602134A) (Army)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Navy RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0605220N (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0605220N")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*