Gecko Models 1/35 35GM0101 US Navy Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle PACV Late Production Kit
1/35 SCALE US Navy Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle(PACV)[Late Production]. INCLUDES PLASTIC PARTS CLEAR PARTS PHOTO ETCH 3D PRINTED STRETCHER DECALS
The Patrol Air Cushion Vehicle (PACV), also known as the Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) in Army and Coast Guard service, was a United States Navy and Army hovercraft used as a patrol boat in marshy and riverine areas during the Vietnam War between 1966 and 1970. Six hovercraft were built, three for the Army and three for the Navy.
PACVs were first deployed to Vietnam in May 1966 as PACV Division 107, Task Force 116, where they were used by the Navy for riverine patrol missions in the Mekong Delta and on the Mekong River. Often called "Pac Vees", they were armed with a .50 calibre machine gun mounted on a rotating platform in the front and two side-mounted M60 machine guns. In addition, the crew, and often US Army Special Forces and ARVN Rangers, riding on the side panels, employed assorted small arms such as M16 rifles and M79 grenade launchers as well as various other rifles, .45 pistols, light and medium machine guns, and grenades, although using small arms was dangerous because spent casings could fall into the propeller. The PACV was used to prevent Viet Cong infiltration from the sea and tidal areas along river mouths and deltas. It was especially useful in shallow marshy areas, especially the Mekong Delta, where other patrol boats such as the Patrol Boat, River or Patrol Craft Fast (Swift boat) could not go. The PACV's relatively light weight of only seven tonnes meant that it could be easily carried by a CH-54 helicopter. This allowed it to be airlifted between forward operating bases or transported back to base when it suffered damage. The PACV could also be split into sections and then transported in Air Force transport planes, which was how they were brought to Vietnam. The military developed the PACV because its lack of draft meant that it could operate unimpeded in the shallow and reed-choked waters widespread in South Vietnam, most notably in the Mekong Delta and Plain of Reeds. The PACV was also found to be valuable because of its unusually high speed of 60 knots (110 km/h; 69 mph), faster than other watercraft in the conflict. However, it faced major drawbacks, including its high cost of $1 million equivalent to 13 Patrol Boat, Rivers and unreliability. During the conflict, two of the Army's three hovercraft were destroyed by the Viet Cong. The PACVs in Vietnam were considered "unsuccessful" in evaluations and were withdrawn in 1970. Following their service in Vietnam, the Navy PACVs returned to the United States where they were used by the Coast Guard, where another sank in an accident