A look into how hovercraft technology advanced after the first public demonstration in 1959.
Image source: Ben Brooksbank / Hovercraft from Southsea at Ryde Pier Head, 1965
Saunders-Roe played a key role in hovercraft development, building the first practical model.
Image source: RuthAS, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The SR.N4 was introduced to transport cars and passengers across the English Channel.
Image source: Bachcell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The British Hovercraft Corporation pushed hovercraft design further, leading to larger and faster models.
Image source: Joost J. Bakker from IJmuiden, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The 1960s and 70s saw hovercraft used for military operations in Southeast Asia.
Image source: USN, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The US Navy deployed Bell SK-5 hovercraft for river patrol missions in the Mekong Delta.
Image source: Photo: LA(Phot) Martin Carney/MOD, OGL v1.0OGL v1.0, via Wikimedia Commons
For over three decades, hovercraft ferries reduced travel time between Britain and France.
Image source: pixabay
The 1994 opening of the Channel Tunnel led to a decline in hovercraft ferry services.
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Though less common, hovercraft were considered for the Iraq War in 2003.
Image source: By Photo: PHOTOGRAPH BY : LAPHOT ANGIE PEA/MOD, OGL v1.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org
Hovercraft manufacturing dwindled after the 1980s, with only a few still in operation today.
Image source: Patrick GUEULLE / A busy hoverport !
The GH-2007 Princess Anne remains preserved in the Hovercraft Museum.
Image source: Frammy7, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
With advances in technology, could hovercraft make a comeback?
Image source: generated by AI tool
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Image source: Ben Brooksbank / Hovercraft from Southsea at Ryde Pier Head, 1965