October 19, 2013: Russia is building an interesting and innovative class of Dyugon high-speed landing craft (LCU). These are 280 ton boats that can carry 140 tons of cargo or up to 5 armored vehicles at speeds of up to 63 kilometers an hour. The crew of 6 have two 14.5mm machine-guns for defense. One Dyugon has been built and 3 more are on order. The high speed is achieved by using two 9,000 horsepower diesel engines. The Dyugons are to replace the older (43 built 1971-2009) Ondatra class. These were more conventional 107 ton landing craft with a max speed of 21 kilometers an hour and able to carry 50 tons of cargo (including a T-72 tank or up to 3 vehicles or 22 troops.)

High speed landing craft are recognized as more important these days with the availability of shore based anti-ship missiles. Helicopters or hovercraft are the preferred solution to this problem, but the Dyugon is one of the more successful high-speed designs for conventional landing craft to show up so far.