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Landing Craft: Types, Technology and the New JCC
From basic definition to future missions: what the British-Norwegian Joint Commando Craft is intended to do and which specifications remain open
A landing craft carries troops, vehicles and equipment from sea to shore, including places without a usable port. Britain and Norway now want to update that principle for commandos, drones and operations in the High North. Their planned Joint Commando Craft (JCC) is intended to be faster, more enduring and more versatile than current raiding craft, with up to 30 vessels under consideration.
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The programme illustrates how the modern landing craft is changing. Instead of serving only as a shuttle to a beach, new boats are expected to support reconnaissance, operate uncrewed systems, insert and recover small teams and contribute to maritime-security missions. The UK government has even identified the possible seizure of sanctioned Russian shadow-fleet tankers as one use case.
Editorial cut-off: 20 August 2026. JCC remains at an early procurement stage. No final design, supplier or binding production specification has been announced. Confirmed programme facts are therefore separated below from specialist-media reporting and industrial concepts.
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What is a landing craft?
A landing craft is a military watercraft designed to carry troops, vehicles or supplies to a coast and put them ashore. Its defining value is reduced dependence on ports, quays and fixed infrastructure. Depending on its design, it may run directly onto a beach, enter very shallow water or deploy smaller boats and helicopters from a larger amphibious ship.
The term covers a wide range of sizes. An open boat with a bow ramp and a large ocean-going amphibious ship both perform the same basic bridging function between a force at sea and an objective ashore. Such vessels can also evacuate civilians, support disaster relief, move engineers and vehicles or supply isolated islands.
Landing boat, landing ship or amphibious vehicle?
| Type | Main feature | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| Landing boat | Small or medium craft, often shallow-draught with a bow ramp | Carries troops or vehicles from a mothership to shore |
| Landing ship | Larger ocean-going platform with substantial transport capacity | Moves and supports an amphibious force over long distances |
| Dock landing ship | Floodable well deck for boats and amphibious vehicles | Launches and recovers landing craft while remaining offshore |
| Air-cushion landing craft | Travels on a cushion of air over water, mudflats and suitable land | Crosses shallows and coastal obstacles |
| Amphibious vehicle | Can swim and then continue on wheels or tracks | Moves inland without transferring its passengers or load |
The key distinction is simple: a conventional landing craft remains a boat after reaching shore. An amphibious vehicle continues over land. On current evidence, JCC is a military boat for littoral operations rather than a road-going vehicle.
The main categories of landing craft
- LCVP: a small Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel for troops or a light vehicle.
- LCM: a Landing Craft, Mechanized for heavier vehicles, engineers and troops.
- LCU: a larger Landing Craft, Utility with greater payload and endurance.
- LST: an ocean-going Landing Ship, Tank able to discharge heavy vehicles by ramp.
- LPD: a Landing Platform Dock with a well deck, flight deck and command facilities.
- LCAC: a fast Landing Craft Air Cushion capable of crossing water, sand and mudflats.
Fast special-forces craft now form an increasingly important category of their own. They carry smaller teams, emphasise speed and reduced signatures and may act as hosts for sensors and drones. JCC sits in precisely this space between a traditional landing boat and a networked mission platform.
Joint Commando Craft: a new landing craft for special forces
Britain and Norway are examining a joint acquisition of up to 30 Joint Commando Craft. The Royal Navy describes the vessel as a new amphibious landing craft for UK and Norwegian commando units. It is expected to carry personnel and specialist drones, insert them on hostile shores and recover them again.
The stated operating environment stretches from the open ocean through fjords and coastal waters to shallow waterways. Speed, endurance, survivability and handling are all meant to improve over existing raiding craft. Those requirements matter in the North Atlantic and High North, where long distances, rough seas, cold weather and complex coastlines combine.
The programme absorbs the earlier British Commando Insertion Craft project. A Request for Information published in 2026 marked a market study, not a purchase. It allows the authorities to compare suppliers, performance, cost and realistic delivery schedules before setting a final requirement.
JCC data: what is confirmed and what remains provisional?
| Feature | Publicly reported position | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Number | Up to 30 craft | Official study scope, not a guaranteed production quantity |
| Users | UK Commando Force and Norwegian Coastal Ranger Command | Officially confirmed |
| Roles | Transport, insertion, recovery, drone reconnaissance and targeting | Officially described |
| Operating area | Open ocean to shallow waterways | Officially described |
| Length | Up to 24 metres | Trade-press figure, not a production specification |
| Displacement | About 40 tonnes preferred, 60 tonnes maximum | Trade-press figure |
| Payload | Up to 24 equipped troops, light vehicles or around six tonnes | Trade-press figure |
| Supplier | Not selected | No public contract award |
Early requirements can change as protection, range, payload, transportability and price are traded against one another. A target value becomes a dependable specification only after selection, contracting and trials.
Could JCC board shadow-fleet tankers?
JCC could support British forces during operations against sanctioned vessels, but that is not its sole mission. In June 2026 the UK Ministry of Defence said the high-speed craft could be used to seize further Russian shadow-fleet tankers and conduct other maritime-security operations.
London had already announced that sanctioned vessels in UK waters could be interdicted under defined circumstances. According to the government, potential targets are assessed individually by law-enforcement, military and energy-market specialists before ministers decide on action. A fast craft provides access and transport; it does not replace legal authority, identification, intelligence or political approval.
Three industrial concepts, but no official shortlist
BAE Systems Littoral Strike Craft
The Littoral Strike Craft concept combines speed, a modular mission bay and optional automation. BAE Systems presents it for reconnaissance, transport and effects in coastal waters.
Leidos Sea Dagger
Sea Dagger is promoted as a fast special-forces craft able to carry light vehicles and modular equipment. Public performance claims remain manufacturer targets, not JCC production data.
Griffon Amphibious Insertion Craft
Griffon combines catamaran hulls with air-cushion assistance. The concept is intended to reach difficult soft shorelines and shows how the boundary between a conventional boat and hovercraft can blur.
Selection will involve unavoidable trade-offs. Protection adds weight, range requires fuel and storage, shallow draught can affect rough-water performance, and autonomous systems need power, communications and operator space.
Why modern landing craft carry drones
Drones extend the reach of a small boat without forcing it into every danger area. An aerial drone can examine a shoreline or landing zone, while an uncrewed surface vessel may scout a route, carry sensors or act as a communications node.
The boat therefore becomes a mobile data and mission platform rather than a simple transport. This also creates vulnerabilities: data links can be jammed, navigation signals spoofed and active emitters detected. Resilient communications and the ability to continue operating with limited connectivity are essential.
Landing craft and Germany
The German Navy says it does not operate a large landing ship of its own. Germany instead cooperates closely with the Netherlands. The German Sea Battalion can use Dutch amphibious platforms and train with their crews under a bilateral arrangement.
Dock landing ships can carry troops, vehicles, helicopters and landing boats. Their well decks are flooded to launch the smaller craft. The partnership gives Germany amphibious options without maintaining a complete national fleet, while underlining that ships alone are insufficient: trained marines, aviation, logistics, command structures and a shared operational picture are equally necessary.
The future of the landing craft
Three trends are shaping the next generation: more distributed operations, closer cooperation between crewed and uncrewed systems, and modular multi-role payloads. Large amphibious ships will remain important, but smaller networked craft can spread teams and sensors across a wider littoral area.
JCC represents this shift. It is intended to be more than a fast taxi for commandos. The boat must cope with rough water, reach shallow approaches, process information and carry different payloads. Whether it can meet all those demands will only become clear after supplier selection and sea trials.
Frequently asked questions about landing craft
What is a landing craft in simple terms?
It is a military watercraft that carries troops, vehicles or supplies to shore without relying on a normal port.
Is a landing craft a boat or a ship?
It can be either. The term covers small landing boats as well as large ocean-going landing ships.
How does a landing craft differ from an amphibious vehicle?
A conventional landing craft remains a boat. An amphibious vehicle can leave the water and continue on wheels or tracks.
What does JCC mean?
JCC stands for Joint Commando Craft, a British-Norwegian programme for a new commando landing and mission boat.
How many JCC vessels are planned?
The two countries are exploring up to 30 craft, but the final production quantity has not been contracted.
Can JCC carry drones?
Yes. The Royal Navy says it is intended to carry commandos and specialist drones for reconnaissance and targeting.
Will JCC board Russian shadow-fleet ships?
The UK Ministry of Defence identifies further seizures of sanctioned tankers as a possible mission, alongside wider maritime-security tasks.
Does Germany operate landing ships?
Germany does not currently operate a large landing ship of its own, but its Sea Battalion can use Dutch amphibious platforms through bilateral cooperation.