You may not believe it, but there are rumors that the mainland government has spent up to 2 billion yuan to buy four hovercraft from Ukraine. This news has caused widespread discussion and attention around the world. Many questioned whether spending such a large amount of money on hovercraft was too extravagant, arguing that it seemed more reasonable to spend the money on fighter jets. Such doubts have raised questions about China's fiscal situation, and one has to wonder whether the country is too well funded.
The deal has also quickly caught the attention of Western countries, who are curious and wary of China's intentions and speculate about the possible strategic considerations behind China's move, but before we dive into the deal, hit the lucky follow button and like the video so you don't miss out on the rest of the story. After all, if this hovercraft is truly extraordinary, it may be worth more than just being numerically expensive.
A hovercraft is a unique type of water vehicle that uses high-pressure air to form an air cushion between the bottom of the boat and the surface (or ground) of the boat, allowing the hull to lift off the water. This design allows the hovercraft to navigate at high speeds on a variety of terrains, including river rapids, rapids, and marshes.
This air-cushion landing craft is known as the European bison, and its name is domineering enough to make people look sideways. Back in the last century, it was carefully developed by the Soviet Ruby Design Bureau after five years of painstaking efforts. This is not just an air-cushion landing craft, but also a craft full of power and style.
When it comes to its strength, it is even more staggering, it has a strong carrying capacity, can carry 150 soldiers at one time, and accompany ten armored vehicles to land on the beach at the same time, its power is not empty talk. Even when compared to devices of the same type, it shows no less performance.
It can be said that this European Bison air-cushion landing craft is undoubtedly the last powerful weapon created by the Soviet Union that year, and its appearance has undoubtedly added a touch of color to the military field, and also highlights the outstanding achievements of the Soviet Union in the field of military science and technology.
Despite the efforts of the Soviets to create this air-cushion landing craft, the results were not satisfactory. The small size of this hovercraft results in a limited amount of fuel carrying, which is only capable of carrying five or six tons of fuel, which greatly limits its range. At full power, the cruising range is only about 480 km, which limits its range of use to the Black Sea region and can only be used as a means of transport.
A number of design problems have also further weakened its utility. The size of this hovercraft makes it impossible to easily load it on a warship and use it as a weapon. Even if they try to load, they will face the embarrassing situation of not being able to load two ships and one cannot exert enough power, which makes them lack the ability to fight in the ocean.
In terms of carrying cargo, although the hovercraft's capabilities cannot be ignored, its protection performance is quite ordinary, considering that the Soviet Navy at the time had a clear gap in strength and influence with the United States, and they did not have sea supremacy, which made the hovercraft particularly vulnerable in the face of powerful opponents such as the United States.
As a result, the Soviets built only eight of these hovercraft that year, and in subsequent tests, the Soviets decided not to produce them in large quantities because they were found to be unsightly and lacklustre, and this high-hopeful hovercraft ultimately failed to become the right-hand man of the Soviet Navy due to various defects.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine inherited part of the military heritage of the former Soviet Union, including five air-cushion landing craft. However, for Ukraine, these air-cushion landing craft have become a hot potato, because they do not know how to use these equipment effectively, so they can only let them sit idle in the corner, gradually accumulating dust, and these air-cushion landing craft, like those once glamorous White Swan aircraft, have been put on the shelf, and can no longer show their due power.
However, China keenly seized this opportunity and decisively bought 4 of the air-cushion landing craft, which was undoubtedly an unexpected surprise for Ukraine, because they finally found a buyer for these air-cushion landing craft, and they were able to sell 4 of them at once, which undoubtedly made them very happy.
The reason why China made such a decision is based on a deep understanding of the potential of this air-cushion landing craft, although Ukraine cannot make full use of these equipment, but China sees their possibilities on the battlefield in the future, through the introduction of these air-cushion landing craft, China can not only enrich its own military equipment system, but also be able to provide more options and possibilities for future operations. Therefore, it can be said that this purchase is a wise move of China's military strategy and an important achievement of military cooperation between China and Ukraine.
In the arms market, it is not often that buyers actively look for specific weapons. However, there are two special circumstances that may motivate buyers to actively seek out a weapon, first, when a weapon is critical to the buyer and they do not yet possess it for various reasons, they may be eager to incorporate it into their equipment system to meet specific strategic or tactical needs, and secondly, when a weapon is in short supply due to its power, the buyer will realize that the opportunity is fleeting and must act as soon as possible to avoid missing the opportunity.
The Bison-class hovercraft is in line with both of the above characteristics, this hovercraft not only has a high strategic value and is essential for countries that need to enhance their amphibious combat capabilities, but also due to its powerful performance and unique design, its production is limited and it is difficult to find a ship on the market, so for countries that aspire to own this hovercraft, they not only see its potential tactical advantages, but also feel the urgency of market competition, so they are more active in seeking purchase opportunities.
The question then arises: why is China willing to pay so much for this hovercraft? It is known that the distance in the widest part of the Taiwan Strait is about 410 kilometers. When fully loaded, the hovercraft can reach 480 kilometers of continuous sailing capacity, which is exactly the same as the width of the Taiwan Strait, undoubtedly highlighting its potential value in the waters of Taiwan Island. As a result, this hovercraft has cleverly transformed what might otherwise be considered a deficiency into a unique advantage in the application of the hovercraft in the waters of Taiwan Island.
Although this hovercraft may not seem remarkable from the outside, it is definitely a giant of its kind in the world. With a staggering length of 57.3 meters, a width of 25.6 meters, and a height of 21.9 meters at its highest point, it is almost as large as half a football field. And in terms of displacement, this hovercraft also shows amazing strength. When unloaded, its displacement reaches 340 tons, and when fully loaded, it can exceed 555 tons, which is undoubtedly an impressive figure.
China's purpose in buying this hovercraft is obvious. It is not only able to meet the special needs in the waters of Taiwan Island, but also stands out among similar products in the world because of its excellent sailing ability and huge volume. This is undoubtedly an advanced piece of equipment that China has invested heavily in and will play an important role in its future maritime strategy.