Landing craft cannot safely operate indefinitely in high seas or make extremely long transits, while helicopters cannot deliver heavy equipment at the same pace. The video works through the speed required for different standoff distances and concludes that the practical cycle time of craft, not simply a ship's weapon range, governs where an amphibious force can wait offshore. French EDA-R catamarans and American LCACs improve speed but cannot make a 25- or 100-mile shuttle behave like a short beach run. Viewers can use the calculation to see why connector numbers, loading time, sea state, and desired wave interval determine the real geometry of an assault.
Chapter · 1:38:37-1:53:24
Connector speed sets the real offshore distance
The distance from ship to shore is constrained by the need to land repeated waves fast enough to sustain the operation.