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India To Construct 4 LPDs

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The Jalashwa is India's only operational LPD. (Indian Navy)

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy has floated a US $2.6 billion domestic tender for construction of four landing platform docks (LPDs) and bids were sent to domestic shipyards, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering, and ABG Shipyard.

A senior Navy planner said the service will select a winning design based on the low bidder. State-owned Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (HSL) then will build two LPDs based on that design and the winning company will build two.

This will be India’s first attempt to build the 20,000-ton vessels.

“The Indian Navy is in dire need of modernizing its amphibious capacity and enhancing its sea lift capability. Given its large island assets and the fact that India is emerging as a security provider and guarantor in the Indian ocean region [which has many island nations], the need of amphibious assets cannot be understated. The addition of four LPDs is hence an instrument in the fulfillment of India’s growing strategic role,” said Probal Ghosh, senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation

To build the LPDs in India, Larsen & Toubro has tied up with Navantia of Spain, while Pipavav Defence has teamed with France’s DCNS and ABG Shipyard has partnered with Alion of the US.

Limiting involvement to only domestic shipyards, despite having no experience in building LPDs, is welcomed by analysts.

“This is an extremely wise decision; LPDs are relatively less sophisticated than high-end destroyers and provide a perfect opportunity for domestic private industry to upgrade their skills in warship construction. Private shipyards which have made huge investments in developing modern state-of-the-art shipyards will be able to prove their credentials for undertaking larger and more sophisticated projects,” said Anil Jai Singh, retired Indian Navy commodore and defense analyst.

The LPD tender states the ship should be no more than 215 meters long and have a draft not to exceed 8 meters, in full load conditions. The ship will be powered by electric propulsion systems and have an endurance of 45 days with a maximum sustained speed of not less than 20 knots.

The LPD would operate a combination of landing craft, including landing craft mechanized to ferry tanks; landing craft, vehicle, personnel to transport troops; and the fast-moving landing craft air cushion vessels.

The LPD should be able to carry six main battle tanks, 20 infantry combat vehicles and 40 heavy trucks.

The ship also should be equipped with a point defense missile system, the close-in weapon system, an anti-torpedo decoy system, a chaff system, and heavy and light machine guns.

Special operation helicopters and large helicopters, up to 35 tons, will operate from the ship.

The LPD should be able to accommodate 1,430 personnel, including 60 officers, 470 sailors and 900 troops.

The ship would be able to conduct maritime surveillance, special operations, search and rescue, medical support and humanitarian aid.

India’s only operational LPD, the former USS Trenton now renamed as INS Jalashwa, was acquired in 1997 and can carry 900 troops, six tanks, 2000 tons of stores, four landing craft and six helicopters, and has a range of 7,700 kilometers at 20 knots.

Jalashwa has a seaworthy life of about 15 years since its commissioning in 2007.

Apart from Jalashwa, the Navy operates three Shardul-class tank landing ships, and four Polnochny-class landing ships.

“Indian Navy’s current amphibious warfare capability, though not inadequate, lacks adequate strategic reach. Four LPDs and Jalashwa would go a long way in addressing this deficit,” says Singh.
 
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The Mistral class is terrific. Pipavav Defence, who has teamed up with DCNS, may end up drawing a lot of 'inspiration' from the Mistrals.:yahoo:
 
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The Jalashwa is India's only operational LPD. (Indian Navy)

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy has floated a US $2.6 billion domestic tender for construction of four landing platform docks (LPDs) and bids were sent to domestic shipyards, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering, and ABG Shipyard.

A senior Navy planner said the service will select a winning design based on the low bidder. State-owned Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. (HSL) then will build two LPDs based on that design and the winning company will build two.

This will be India’s first attempt to build the 20,000-ton vessels.

“The Indian Navy is in dire need of modernizing its amphibious capacity and enhancing its sea lift capability. Given its large island assets and the fact that India is emerging as a security provider and guarantor in the Indian ocean region [which has many island nations], the need of amphibious assets cannot be understated. The addition of four LPDs is hence an instrument in the fulfillment of India’s growing strategic role,” said Probal Ghosh, senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation

To build the LPDs in India, Larsen & Toubro has tied up with Navantia of Spain, while Pipavav Defence has teamed with France’s DCNS and ABG Shipyard has partnered with Alion of the US.

Limiting involvement to only domestic shipyards, despite having no experience in building LPDs, is welcomed by analysts.

This is an extremely wise decision; LPDs are relatively less sophisticated than high-end destroyers and provide a perfect opportunity for domestic private industry to upgrade their skills in warship construction. Private shipyards which have made huge investments in developing modern state-of-the-art shipyards will be able to prove their credentials for undertaking larger and more sophisticated projects,” said Anil Jai Singh, retired Indian Navy commodore and defense analyst.

The LPD tender states the ship should be no more than 215 meters long and have a draft not to exceed 8 meters, in full load conditions. The ship will be powered by electric propulsion systems and have an endurance of 45 days with a maximum sustained speed of not less than 20 knots.

The LPD would operate a combination of landing craft, including landing craft mechanized to ferry tanks; landing craft, vehicle, personnel to transport troops; and the fast-moving landing craft air cushion vessels.

The LPD should be able to carry six main battle tanks, 20 infantry combat vehicles and 40 heavy trucks.

The ship also should be equipped with a point defense missile system, the close-in weapon system, an anti-torpedo decoy system, a chaff system, and heavy and light machine guns.

Special operation helicopters and large helicopters, up to 35 tons, will operate from the ship.

The LPD should be able to accommodate 1,430 personnel, including 60 officers, 470 sailors and 900 troops.

The ship would be able to conduct maritime surveillance, special operations, search and rescue, medical support and humanitarian aid.

India’s only operational LPD, the former USS Trenton now renamed as INS Jalashwa, was acquired in 1997 and can carry 900 troops, six tanks, 2000 tons of stores, four landing craft and six helicopters, and has a range of 7,700 kilometers at 20 knots.

Jalashwa has a seaworthy life of about 15 years since its commissioning in 2007.

Apart from Jalashwa, the Navy operates three Shardul-class tank landing ships, and four Polnochny-class landing ships.

“Indian Navy’s current amphibious warfare capability, though not inadequate, lacks adequate strategic reach. Four LPDs and Jalashwa would go a long way in addressing this deficit,” says Singh.

Good development
 
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Why is the state owned enterprise being given the contract for 2 of the LPDs.

Give it to the shipyard which can offer the second best proposal. Far out.
 
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The Mistral class is terrific. Pipavav Defence, who has teamed up with DCNS, may end up drawing a lot of 'inspiration' from the Mistrals.:yahoo:

The article makes clear that the aim is on LDPs not LHDs like the Mistral class, so DCNS must offer a re-designed Mistral class, without the helicopter deck.

Why is the state owned enterprise being given the contract for 2 of the LPDs.

Give it to the shipyard which can offer the second best proposal. Far out.

To gain more critical techs, otherwise the foreign shipyard and their Indian partners will go for simple ToT only, since private partners only aim on business, not on long term benefits through improving technical capabilities.
 
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The article makes clear that the aim is on LDPs not LHDs like the Mistral class, so DCNS must offer a re-designed Mistral class, without the helicopter deck.



To gain more critical techs, otherwise the foreign shipyard and their Indian partners will go for simple ToT only, since private partners only aim on business, not on long term benefits through improving technical capabilities.

Ah! My bad...any idea why India prefers LPDs and not LHDs ? (The Jalashwa can accomodate 6 Sea-Kings, wonder if the IN is interested in increasing this capacity on the proposed LPDs)
 
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Ah! My bad...any idea why India prefers LPDs and not LHDs ? (The Jalashwa can accomodate 6 Sea-Kings, wonder if the IN is interested in increasing this capacity on the proposed LPDs)

The operational requirement is limited and mainly aimed on the Islands around A&N, as well as humanitarian missions. That makes LDPs more cost-effective than LHDs, since they will be used only very rarely and in war times in support of an aircraft carrier, just like Jalashwa is currently supported by Viraat. The number of helicopters is dependent on the hangar size and might actually be even lower, with 4 x Sea Hawks, or NH90s, maybe even less if bigger helicopters are the aim (AW101, Sikorsky S92, or even CH53Ks). Since the aim is to transport heavy cargo mainly, using a lower number of bigger helicopters makes more sense.
 
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2.6billion? That is so expensive
Price should be around 300- 400 million USD each
 
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2.6billion? That is so expensive
Price should be around 300- 400 million USD each

Yes the cost of the warship grade steel is very high but is much lesser than the American and European counterparts.
 
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If you like the INS Jalashwa the US has like 10 more of the Austin class in the mothball fleet.
 
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It doesnt make sense.

For second line of ships - IN can get a lot of value out of ex USN ships.

We need not keep building expensive second rung ship fleets. These can be acquired at very low costs and refurbished at Indian yards.

The first line of naval vessels should be built at home - the MoD yards are already backed up with orders, lets start farming out and have all the private yards humming with Corvettes/FFG/DDG's.

Rationalize orders.
 
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