Hovercraft minelaying remains attractive but difficult

Are hovercraft practical coastal minelayers?

They offer appealing ideas about low ground pressure and crossing minefields, but skirt vulnerability and other operating problems make them a poor straightforward solution.

Armed services repeatedly revisit hovercraft because the potential advantages look remarkable on paper. A vehicle that might lay mines while floating over a minefield is an especially tempting idea. Damage to the skirt and real-world operating limits quickly erode the theoretical case.