1870s - 1960s

The Foundation of Air Cushion Technology

1870 - Inventing The “Hovercraft”

The concept of an "air-cushion" vehicle was first explored by the British engineer Sir John Thornycroft in the 1870s as a way of reducing the drag experienced by boats, using a pocket of air between the hull and water. In the 1930s Russian aerodynamicist Vladimir Lekov took this a step further, experimenting with the "sidewall" hovercraft which proved to be fast but unreliable.

1959 - British Inventor Sir Christopher Cockerell developed his British Government funded prototype, the SR.N1 - the modern day hovercraft was born into reality. This craft famously crossed the English Channel on July 25 1959 forever changing the way humans could travel between land and sea.

1961 - The introduction of hovercraft skirts reengineered seakeeping and operational performance, paving the way for commercial and military use.

1990s – 2000s

Advanced Hovercraft Engineering, Research & Development

GKN Westland sold the design rights for all hovercraft, consisting of the SR/BHC/Westland/GKN series of craft to Hoverwork Ltd.

2000 - Griffon introduced advanced hovercraft for specialised search & rescue applications along the cost of United Kingdom.

2003 - Griffon expanded into defence applications, incorporating light weight, high-speed hovercraft into tactical operations.

2010 – 2019

Technological Breakthroughs in Hovercraft & Marine Design

2010 - Development of PASCAT (Partial Air Cushion Supported CATamarans) a Hybrid vessel for enhanced amphibious operations.

2012 - Introduction of the 8000TD hovercraft, enhancing speed, endurance, and payload capacity for maritime security and border control operations. Delivered to the Indian Coast Guard for coastal patrol and surveillance.

2014 - Introduction of BHT 150, Griffon’s largest hovercraft at 31 metres in length and 20 tonnes of payload designed for security and border control.

2016 - Launch of industry leading technology, electric drive for hovercraft. A pioneering hybrid electric diesel hovercraft focused on reducing emissions and operational costs.

2019 - Griffon's largest passenger hovercraft, the 12000TD was developed for commercial passenger transport, integrating next generation lightweight materials and fuel efficient systems.