Aist-Class

Notes: This is an older large Russian hovercraft, the first built in Russia, and also operated by Poland. It resembles a much larger version of the Gus-class. The Aist is so simple that it can be operated by only three men, though more are required for optimum usage. It is the only vessel in Russian service where that is actually steered under normal use by the captain. Quarters and living accommodations are supplied for the crew, but not troops.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Most had been sold off to Russian client states long before the Twilight War, but 6 were still operated by the Russian Navy in a reserve role before the war, and these were taken into regular service during the Alaska Invasion.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Mnt

Crew

Night Vision

Radiological

$2,500,000

AvG

100 tons

270 tons

30

7+130

Radar, Sonar, WL/IR Searchlight

Enclosed

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

280

85

26700

12800

Stnd

P(35)

HF3 HS3 HR3

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

2xZSU-30-2 Autocannon Sets (2x2 Guns) (F, R)

4800x30mm

Bora Class Hovercraft

Notes: This Russian vessel is basically a hovercraft version of a missile cruiser. It is also known as Projekt 1239 or the Sivuch. They were designed for anti-ship duties, but their weapons and characteristics also make them good coastal raiders. They are also the largest hovercrafts ever built. They are stable enough for blue water sailing, with a long range. The problem, of course, with a vessel of this size is that it makes an easy (though hard to damage) target, it is difficult to hide, and a great deal of fuel is necessary to power it (and alcohol does not have the kick necessary for its engines).

Twilight 2000 Notes: Six were available at the start of the Twilight War, with more being built during the war. These craft were encountered on the shores of the remains of Russia as late as 2002, their high speed lending to their survival.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$35,000,000

D, AvG

230 tons

1280 tons

35+33

35

Radar, Sonar, FLIR, Image Intensification

Shielded

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

220

70

200000

20300

Stnd

P(93)

HF8 HS8 HR8

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+4

Fair

100mm Automatic Gun (F), 2x30mm-6 Autocannons (F, R), 10-Round SA-9 Launcher (RD), 2x4-Round SS-22 Missile Launchers, 10xNSV (Around the Deck)

400x100mm, 1150x30mm, 20xSA-9 SAMs, 8xSS-22 Ballistic Missiles, 10000x12.7mm

Gus/Skat Class Hovercraft

Notes: During the 1970s and 1980s, in a frenzy of ground-effect vehicle design, the Russians developed a large number of hovercrafts for amphibious assaults. One of these was the Gus Class. The Polish also used a modified form of the Gus, called the Skat; this vehicle mounts the turret of a PT-76 light tank ahead of the bridge, at a cost of some cargo space; they also use a multifuel engine. Unlike most hovercrafts, the Gus and Skat have armor equivalent to a light tank as well as having high speed and can be very difficult to stop.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Most of these were later placed into storage, as they were large, heavy, unreliable, and difficult to maintain; however in the Twilight War, they were brought back into service and used extensively by Russian and Polish Naval Infantry and Spetsnaz forces for assaults against difficult targets.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Gus

$736,000

AvG

4.57 tons

27 tons

4+50

24

Passive IR, WL/IR Searchlight, Radar

Shielded

Skat

$927,000

AvG, D, A

2.47 tons

34 tons

6+27

28

Passive IR, WL/IR Searchlight, Radar

Shielded

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

Gus

220

70

1300

589

Stnd

P(20)

TF12 TS4 TR4 HF22 HS12 HR8

Skat

220

70

1300

589

Trtd

P(20)

TF12 TS4 TR4 HF22 HS12 HR8

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Gus

+1

Fair

2x23mm Autocannons

242x23mm

Skat

+3

Fair

2x23mm Autocannons, 76.2mm D56T Gun, PKT, DShK (C)

242x23mm, 88x76.2mm, 2200x7.62mm, 1300x12.7mm

KvP-92

Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This is an air cushion troop carrier used primarily by Russian Naval Infantry and Naval Spetsnaz teams. Naval Spetsnaz mainly used it for assaults, since it is too loud for surreptitious insertions unless done far from enemy troop positions. Later in the war, it was adopted in large numbers by Arctic troops, and it became a common sight in Scandinavia and Alaska; in addition, the Polish were known to make use of the KvP-92 and its variants. It can be easily mistaken for the US M-5 RACV, as the vehicles are of similar size and design. However, the main gun of the KvP-92 is mounted on top of the vehicle in a small turret instead of in the hull, and there is no secondary armament. There is a hatch on the front deck for the driver, hatches in the turret deck for the commander and gunner, and a door on either side for the troops. In the bow of the vehicle a ramp may be lowered.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$300,000 (-/R)

D, A

1 ton

11 tons

3+8

18

Passive IR

Enclosed

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

150

55

520

240

CiH

P(8)

TF1 TS1 TR1 HF1 HS1 HR1

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

30mm Autocannon, PKT

200x30mm, 2000x7.62mm

KvP-92v

Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This is the support version of the KvP-92. In this version, the normal turret is replaced by a small turret with a Vasilyek automortar mounted instead of the normal autocannon. It is otherwise similar to the KvP-92.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$325,000 (-/R)

D, A

600 kg

11.2 tons

4

18

Passive IR

Enclosed

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

150

55

520

245

CiH

P(8)

TF1 TS1 TR1 HF 1 HS1 HR1

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+1

Basic

82mm Vasilyek Automortar

60x82mm

KvP-92z

Notes: This vehicle does not exist in real life.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This is a heavily armed KvP-92 variant intended to support the troop carrier version during assaults. This version does not carry passengers; instead, a large amount of weapons, ammunition, and gunners are carried. The primary weapon is a 3-barreled 30mm Gatling gun, carried on a rotating mount on top of the hull; on either side of this cupola is an NSV machinegun. In the front of the vehicle is a KPV machinegun, and on either side of the hull is a B-11 recoilless rifle fixed firing forward. It is otherwise similar to the KvP-92. These vehicles were greatly feared by those facing them, due to their firepower; thankfully, due to their lack of armor, they were also easily destroyed if one could get a clear shot.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$350,000 (-/R)

D, A

400 kg

11.5 tons

5

20

Passive IR, Image Intensification

Enclosed

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

150

55

520

250

CiH

P(8)

TF1 TS1 TR1 HF1 HS1 HR1

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+3

Fair

30mm-3 Autocannon, KPV, 2xNSV (Sides), 2xB-11 Recoilless Rifle (Fixed Front)

1200x30mm, 1250x14.5mm, 1425x12.7mm, 40x107mm

KvP-121

Notes: This massive air-cushion cargo carrier is similar in concept to the US LCAC, but much larger. It is used to move large cargoes and assault forces inland from the ships carrying them offshore. It is a RO-RO vehicle (Roll-On, Roll-Off), with large cargo doors and ramps at both ends to get vehicles and troops on and off the hovercraft. The crew is in a fully enclosed cab on top of the cargo area. They control two remote turrets, one on each end of the vehicle, each armed with a heavy machinegun.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Due to its size, fuel consumption, poor maneuverability, and general vulnerability, it was not used often during the Twilight War, except in poorly defended areas like Alaska, where they were used in large numbers.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$800,000 (-/R)

D, A

225 tons

86 tons

8+150

27

Radar, Sonar, WL/IR Searchlight

Enclosed

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

120

40

50000

1870

Stnd

P(24)

HF2 HS2 HR2

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+1

Fair

2xNSV

5000x12.7mm

Polnocny-A/B/C Class

Notes: These were formerly the standard landing ships of the Russian Naval Infantry and its Pact counterparts. Though largely replaced in Russian and Polish service by hovercraft in the 1980s, they were widely exported and converted into civilian ferries, and some Pact and former Pact countries like Romania and Hungary used a few. They were also quite common in Chinese, Iraqi, Iranian, Indian, and Libyan navies. Most of these ships were actually built in the shipyards in Gdansk in Poland, and a few were built there during the war. Unlike most Western landing craft, the Polnocny series are heavily armed and can put up a large amount of covering fire for its troops. They can beach themselves for cargo and troop exit and then remove themselves again from the shore.

Vehicle

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

Polnocny-A

$1,724,000

D, A

180 tons

820 tons

13

Radar, WL/IR Searchlight

Enclosed

Polnocny-B

$1,860,000

D, A

194 tons

884 tons

13

Radar, WL/IR Searchlight

Enclosed

Polnocny-C

$2.506,000

D, A

250 tons

1192 tons

13

Radar, WL/IR Searchlight

Enclosed

Vehicle

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Size

Armor

Polnocny-A

76

17

38200

233

Sup

5

H8 W7 S6

Polnocny-B

72

17

41200

238

Sup

5

H8 W7 S6

Polnocny-C

64

15

55550

286

Sup

5

H8 W7 S6

Vehicle

Length

Draft

Mnvr

Accl

Min Crew/Opt Crew/Pass

Polnocny-A

73

2.74

4

7

8/42/+168

Polnocny-B

75

2.84

4

7

7/37/+180

Polnocny-C

81.3

3.3

4

6

8/41/+232

Vehicle

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

Polnocny-A

+2

Fair

2xZSU-30-2, 2xBM-14-18 MRLs, 2x4-Round SA-8 SAM Launchers

10000x30mm, 72x140mm Rockets, 16xSA-8 Missiles

Polnocny-B

+2

Fair

2xZSU-30-2, 2xBM-14-18 MRLs, 4x4-Round SA-8 Launchers

11000x30mm, 72x140mm Rockets, 16xSA-8 Missiles

Polnocny-C

+2

Fair

2xZSU-30-2, 2xBM-14-18 MRLs, 4x4-Round SA-8 Launchers

12000x30mm, 144x140mm Rockets, 24xSA-8 Missiles

Zubr

Notes: Also known as the Pomornik class, these are some of the largest hovercrafts ever built, second in size only the massive KvP-121s. They have the advantage over the KvP-121 of being well-armored and heavily armed, and can carry a large amount of cargo to the shore. There is a large ramp in the bow of the vessel able to offload two main battle tanks at once, or three vehicles the size of a BMP-series or BTR-series APC. Unfortunately, like the KvP-121, they are too large to be transported by almost all ships in the Russian Fleet, and a lot of fuel is used up simply moving them from place to place. This, along with their cost, is the main reason why the Russians had less then 20 of them on hand by 2000. In addition to the Russian Zubrs, Greece has two of these hovercrafts.

Price

Fuel Type

Load

Veh Wt

Crew

Mnt

Night Vision

Radiological

$9,820,000

AvG

130 tons

550 tons

31+360

30

Radar, Sonar, Thermal Imaging

Shielded

Tr Mov

Com Mov

Fuel Cap

Fuel Cons

Config

Susp

Armor

115

40

75000

17250

Stnd

P(60)

HF10 HS6 HR6

Fire Control

Stabilization

Armament

Ammunition

+2

Fair

2x30mm-6 Autocannons, 2x16-Round 140mm MRLs, 2x2-Round SA-8 SAM Launchers

7000x30mm, 128x140mm Rockets, 16xSA-8 SAMs