Saab 401, the hovercraft

During the Winther 1964 two hovercrafts was tested on swedish waters by Swedish governments, one was Saab 401, a test model. The second one was a Vicker Armstrong VA-21. Both of the was tested on the Swedish east coast archipelago. One of the hovercrafts potential advantages over conventional boats are that it  is able to make their way across land, snow and ice. 

Saab 401 is an very small manned experiments craft with an weight of 2 tons, and capable for a speed of 40 knots over free water. Its not equipped with a skirt that other hovercrafts have. On the other hand the front of the hovercraft is very robust, and can withstand a lot of damage. The lifting fan is driven by an 180 hp engine, and the propulsion is driven  by two 72 hp engines with two propellers.