U.S. Navy Conducts Pearl Harbor’s First Air Cushion Landing Craft LCAC Operation Since 2018.

The U.S. Navy conducted the first in-port Landing Craft, Air Cushion operation at Pearl Harbor since 2018 on August 2, 2026, using the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) and two LCACs from Assault Craft Unit 5. The operation also marked the first time Essex had conducted LCAC well-deck operations while pier-side, showing that the ship can remain docked while still moving heavy equipment and supplies across the harbor.

The evolution took place between Kilo Pier and Ford Island at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam following Rim of the Pacific 2026 and involved LCAC 81 and LCAC 90. Beyond the eight-year milestone, the operation demonstrated an additional logistics option for U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps forces operating across the Indo-Pacific, where ports, roads, and conventional transport routes could become congested, damaged, or unavailable during a crisis.

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U.S. Navy Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) 90, assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5, passes the USS Missouri before entering the well deck of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on August 2, 2026. (Picture source: U.S. Department of War/Defense)

The Landing Craft, Air Cushion, or LCAC, is a high-speed amphibious hovercraft designed to transport U.S. Marine Corps vehicles, weapons, supplies, and personnel between amphibious ships and shore. Riding on a cushion of air allows the craft to move across water and transition onto suitable beaches or coastal terrain, reducing dependence on conventional port infrastructure and prepared landing sites.

In the Pearl Harbor operation, LCAC 81 and LCAC 90 served as the heavy-lift connection between USS Essex and Ford Island while the amphibious assault ship remained alongside Kilo Pier. That is the key operational feature of the demonstration: Essex did not need to leave port to continue using its well deck as part of the ship-to-shore logistics chain.

Wasp-class amphibious assault ships are designed to embark U.S. Marine Corps forces, aircraft, vehicles, landing craft, and supplies, with the well deck providing the primary interface for amphibious surface connectors. Those operations normally take place with the ship at sea, making the Pearl Harbor evolution a useful demonstration of how part of that capability can also be retained while the ship is berthed.

A pier-side LCAC option could give commanders another method for moving heavy cargo between different areas of a naval base without relying entirely on trucks, road networks, cranes, or conventional pier-side handling equipment. It could also allow an amphibious assault ship undergoing replenishment, maintenance, personnel movement, or other port activity to continue supporting selected logistics missions at the same time.

The Pearl Harbor environment added complexity because the LCACs had to operate through restricted and heavily controlled waters. The movement required designated transit lanes, speed restrictions, and close coordination among USS Essex, Assault Craft Unit 5, Beach Master Unit 1, the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Port Operations Center, and well-deck personnel.

The operation also required Essex to conduct launch and recovery procedures in a configuration the ship had not previously used while pier-side. LCAC 81 and LCAC 90 had to enter and leave the well deck while the ship remained alongside Kilo Pier, requiring precise synchronization between shipboard teams and landing craft crews.

All movements were completed without disrupting normal harbor traffic, Ford Island residents, or access to nearby historic sites. This was operationally relevant because the demonstration showed that amphibious logistics could be introduced into an active and congested naval installation without shutting down routine harbor activity.

The wider significance lies in Indo-Pacific sustainment. U.S. forces operating across the region may have to distribute personnel, vehicles, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies across numerous islands and temporary operating locations while minimizing reliance on a small number of major logistics hubs.

In a high-end conflict, fixed ports, airfields, road networks, and established supply routes could be degraded by long-range precision strikes or become too congested to support the required tempo. A docked amphibious assault ship that can continue moving heavy loads by LCAC gives commanders another route for maintaining cargo flow when normal transportation infrastructure is constrained.

Instead of viewing a ship in port as temporarily removed from amphibious operations, the Pearl Harbor demonstration suggests that a vessel such as Essex could continue functioning as a local maritime logistics node. It could move equipment across water to another section of a base, a nearby shoreline, or potentially an expeditionary receiving point while remaining berthed.

This concept supports the U.S. military’s broader effort to make Indo-Pacific logistics more distributed and resilient. [Related Army Recognition coverage of U.S. distributed maritime operations] and [Related Army Recognition analysis of amphibious logistics in the Indo-Pacific] provide additional context on the growing requirement to create multiple supply routes and reduce dependence on fixed infrastructure.

The operation also highlights the continuing importance of air-cushioned landing craft as the U.S. Navy modernizes its ship-to-shore connector fleet. Legacy LCACs and the newer Ship-to-Shore Connector are designed to move heavy combat loads rapidly from amphibious ships to shore, particularly where traditional port infrastructure is unavailable, damaged, or tactically undesirable.

The August 2, 2026, evolution therefore carries value on two levels. At Pearl Harbor, it marked the first in-port LCAC operation since 2018 and the first pier-side well-deck operation of this type for USS Essex. At the operational level, it demonstrated that a docked amphibious assault ship can remain connected to the ship-to-shore logistics network rather than relying exclusively on conventional land-based cargo movement.

For U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps forces preparing for distributed operations across the Indo-Pacific, that flexibility could become increasingly important. The ability to move heavy equipment from a pier-side amphibious assault ship by LCAC adds another sustainment route, improves logistics redundancy, and reduces dependence on any single port, road, or cargo-handling system during contested operations.

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Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.