Landing Platform Docks (LPD) of the Indian Navy

Class overview
Operators	Indian Navy
Preceded by	INS Jalashwa (L41)
Planned	4[1]
General characteristics
Type	Landing Platform Dock (LPD)
Notes	Planned Capabilities:-[2] To undertake "Out-of-Area Contingencies" (OOAC). To support/assist land-based operations. To execute disaster-response and humanitarian-relief operations. To undertake fleet-support functions through replenishment capability and comprehensive workshop facilities. To provide medical facilities for the treatment of battle-casualties.

The procurement of "Landing Platform Docks" (LPD) by the Indian Navy, formerly known as the "Multi-Role Support Vessel Program" (MRSV) - is an initiative of the Indian Navy to procure a series of landing platform docks - specific vessels dedicated to amphibious warfare - as part of the service's strategy to augment its capabilities of amphibious warfare, disaster-response, humanitarian assistance and auxillary duties.^[3]

The Indian Navy has long sought to procure amphibious warfare vessels, including landing platform docks; multiple initiatives in procuring specified vessels of the aforementioned type were initiated as early as 2009.^[4] However, such measures have been frequently delayed, on account of varying reasons.^[5]

The Indian Navy currently operates one landing platform dock - INS Jalashwa, an ex-Austin-class amphibious transport dock, which was purchased from the United States Navy (USN) in 2007.^[6]

History[]

Origins[]

INS Jalashwa - the Indian Navy's only active landing platform dock, seen here in 2020.

The Indian Navy - being one of the most potent navies in the Indian Ocean, had long sought to procure amphibious warfare vessels, as a part of its scheme to augment its capabilities of amphibious warfare, disaster-response management and evacuation of civilians and personnel.^[7]

In the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the Indian Navy initiated one of the largest "Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief" (HADR) operations in its history; the service quickly dispatched Indian naval vessels to send supplies to multiple countries that had been affected by the tsunami, namely, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives.^[8] However, the experience unraveled a significant drawback - the Indian Navy barely possessed the capability to undertake amphibious transport operations nor humanitarian assistance operations, although it operated landing tank crafts - which were capable of undertaking amphibious operations, albeit at a limited capacity.^[9][10]

With the revelation of this acute flaw, India quickly sought to procure amphibious vessels capable of undertaking amphibious warfare and disaster-response management.^[11] In 2007, India purchased the ex-USS Trenton - an Austin-class amphibious transport dock from the United States Navy (USN) and re-commissioned it as the INS Jalashwa.^[12] Since its re-commissioning, INS Jalashwa has undertaken numerous disaster-response and humanitarian-relief operations, most notably during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[13][14][15]

In addition to the re-commissioned INS Jalashwa, India was also offered the USS Nashville, another Austin-class amphibious transport dock; however, the Indian Navy never purchased it.^[16][17]

"Multi-Role Support Vessel" Initiative (MRSV)[]

In 2011, the Indian Navy established the "Multi-Role Support Vessel" Program (MSRV), an initiative to acquire four landing platform docks from a foreign naval conglomerate.^[18] Under the initiative, India issued a Request For Information (RFI) to multiple foreign naval firms, under the "Buy and Make (Indian)" category of India's 2011 defense acquisition regulations.^[19]

In 2013, the Indian Navy issued a Request For Proposal to four domestic shipbuilders - L&T Shipbuilding (L&T), ABG Shipyard (ABG), Pipavav Shipyard Limited (RDEL) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).^[20] Under this scheme, the winner of the bid (likely a private-shipyard) would have to build two landing platform docks, while the remaining two were to be built by the state-owned HSL.^[21]

Under this programme - worth USD $2.65 billion, the three private shipyards tied up with different foreign conglomerates - L&T allied with Spain-based Navantia, RDEL allied with France-based DCNS (now Naval Group), while ABG tied with US-based Alion.^[22] However, ABG suffered from severe financial constraints and was deeply in debt; the company was later disqualified from the tender on account of its financial woes.^[23][24] L&T and RDEL were the only shipyards which met the technical and financial eligibility criteria in the tender; however, RDEL too suffered from increasing financial debts - which made it unsuitable for participating in the tender; this left L&T as the only prospective vendor in the bid.^[25]

In 2017, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) - the arms acquisition body of India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the procurement of the four specified vessels.^[26] Concurrently, both L&T and RDEL submitted revised commercial bids to build all the four vessels - in stark contrast to the specifications of the 2013 tender, which regulated that the selected private shipyard must build only two vessels.^[27]

The competition narrowed down to just two contenders - an alliance of L&T-Navantia offering the Juan Carlos I-class amphibious assault vessel and another alliance of RDEL-DCNS offering the Mistral-class amphibious assault vessel.^[28][29][30]

Cancellation[]

From its inception in 2013, until 2020 - the MRSV initiative underwent seven extensions and one re-submission of bids.^[31]

In 2019, after a string of delays in the project, the Indian Navy approached the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to cancel the tender, then worth USD $3 billion.^[32] With ABG disqualified from competing and RDEL on the brink of bankruptcy, L&T prevailed as the only qualified contender capable of handling the project; proposals to scrap the tender - in order to circumvent a "single-vendor situation", were favoured by the MoD instead.^[33]

In September 2020, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) criticised the Indian Navy for its failure to conclude the project and lambasted the project's long-period of inactivity.^[34][35] Later that month, the MoD scrapped the tender, then worth INR ₹20,000 crore (US$3 billion) - given the tender's prolonged inactivity and lack of action on the issue.^[36] With the termination of the contract, the Indian Navy reportedly planned to initiate a fresh bidding process for the acquisition of a new fleet of landing platform docks, with new qualitative requirements.^[37][38]

In November 2020, the Indian Navy revised its original plan of purchasing four landing platform docks to just two, due to severe budgetary constraints and inadequate funding.^[39]

Revival[]

In August 2021, in a bid to revive its initiative of procuring amphibious transport vessels - the Ministry of Defence (MoD) issued a new Request For Information (RFI) for the procurement of four landing platform docks (LPD), to domestic Indian shipyards - under the MoD's "Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020" (DAP-2020) guidelines.^[40]

According to the RFI, the first vessel slated for delivery within 60 months of the contract being signed and the remaining three at one-year intervals.^[41] Furthermore, the RFI also dictated that the competing Indian shipyards must seek transfer-of-technology (TOT) from a foreign naval shipbuilder, and that the four prescribed vessels be built in India, with indigenous content.^[42]

Requirements[]

• Characteristics :
  • Length: ≤ 200 m (660 ft)
  • Beam: To be commensurated with the length and tonnage of the ship.
  • Draught: ≤ 8 m (26 ft)
  • Displacement: 30,000–40,000 t (30,000–39,000 long tons; 33,000–44,000 short tons)
  • Propulsion: Integrated electric propulsion (IEP)
  • Speed:
    • ≥ 20 knots (37 km/h) (Maximum)
    • 14–16 knots (26–30 km/h) (Cruising Speed)
  • Endurance:
    • 10,000 nmi (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) (At economic speed)
    • ≥ 45 days (In terms of machinery/fuel)
    • 60 days (In terms of logistics support for troops)
• Sensors/Processing Systems :
  • "Combat Management System" (CMS)
  • 1 x E/F-Band air-search/surface-surveillance radar
  • 1 x C/D-Band air-surveillance radar
  • 1 x surface-surveillance radar
  • 2 x I-Band radar
  • 1 x E/F-Band COTS radar
  • 1 x Infrared search and track (IRST) system
• Weaponry :
  • Anti-Air Weaponry:
    • 32 x VL-SRSAM surface-to-air missiles
  • Anti-Ship/Anti-Surface Weaponry
    • 16 x anti-ship missiles (AShM)/surface-to-surface missiles (SSM)
  • Anti-Submarine Weaponry
    • "Anti-Torpedo Decoy System" (ATDS)
  • Guns
    • 4 x AK-630M CIWS (To be equipped with electro-optical fire control systems (EOFCS))
    • 4 x OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun
    • 8 x medium-machine guns (MMG)
    • 4 x "Portable Saluting Guns"
    • Directed-energy weapon (DEW) (To replace AK-630 in future)

Potential Contenders[]

The Mistral-class amphibious assault vessel, designed by Naval Group.

The Juan Carlos I-class amphibious assault vessel, designed by Navantia.

According to multiple sources, the following Indian shipyards may participate in the tender -

Potential Shipyards[]

• Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) :-
  • Based in Kochi, CSL is the largest shipbuilder in India and has long been a supplier to the Indian Navy.^[43] It is presently engaged in constructing India's first indigenously designed aircraft carrier - INS Vikrant.^[44]
• L&T Shipbuilding (L&T) :-
  • Based in Hazira and Kattupalli, L&T has also been a noted supplier to the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.^[45] L&T's Hazira-based shipyard has the capability to build large vessels, with a tonnage of 20,000 t (20,000 long tons), with a length of 160 m (524 ft 11 in).^[46]
• Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) :-
  • Based in Kolkata, GRSE has long been a supplier to the Indian Navy; having delivered over 100 warships - including the Shardul-class amphibious warfare vessels, the Kamorta-class corvettes, the Aditya-class auxiliary vessels, the Mk. IV LCU landing craft vesslels and other warships.^[47]
• Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) :-
  • Based in Mumbai, MDL is a distinguished supplier to the Indian Navy; having delivered numerous warships - including the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, the Kolkata-class destroyers, the Shivalik-class frigates and the Kalvari-class submarines.^[48]

Prospective Designs[]

The Trieste-class landing helicopter dock, designed by Fincantieri.

A model of the Project-23900 amphibious assault vessel, designed by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau.

According to multiple sources, the following naval designs may be offered in the tender -

•  France :
  • May offer the Mistral-class amphibious warfare vessel.^[49]
  • Designed by Naval Group and currently operated by the French Navy and the Egyptian Navy.^[50]
  • Was previously offered to India, in joint-partnership with Reliance Defence & Engineering Limited.^[51]
  • Participated with the Indian Navy in the Indo-French "VARUNA-21" joint-naval exercise.^[52]
•  Spain :
  • May offer the Juan Carlos-I amphibious warfare vessels.^[53]
  • Designed by Navantia and currently operated by the Spanish Navy, the Royal Australian Navy and the Turkish Naval Forces.^[54]
  • Was previously offered to India, in joint-partnership with Larsen & Toubro.^[55]
  • Participated with the Indian Navy in the Indo-Australian "AUSINDEX-2019" joint-naval exercise.^[56]
•  Italy :
  • May offer a variant of the Trieste landing helicopter dock.^[57]
  • Designed by Fincantieri and currently operated by the Italian Navy.^[58]
•  Russia :
  • May offer an export variant of Project-23900 amphibious warfare vessel.^[59]
  • Designed by JSC Zelenodolsk Design Bureau and currently being built for the Russian Navy.^[60]
•  South Korea :
  • May offer the Dokdo-class amphibious warfare vessel.^[61]
  • Designed by Hanjin Heavy Industries and currently operated by the Republic of Korea Navy.^[62]
  • Reportedly offered to India, under the MRSV tender.^[63]

See also[]

Other Amphibious Vessels Operated by the Indian Navy

• INS Jalashwa (L41) - India's only active landing platform dock, purchased from the United States in 2007. Was previously the USS Trenton of the United States Navy.

Other References to the Indian Navy

• List of active Indian Navy ships
• Future of the Indian Navy

References[]

External links[]

• The Indian Navy's New ‘Expeditionary’ Outlook, Admiral (Retd) Arun Prakash, 20 October 2012. Observer Research Foundation.