The Indian Navy is expected to soon issue a tender to build four large Landing Platform Dock (LPD) warships at an estimated cost of around ₹80,000 crore, defence officials told ANI.

The Defence Ministry is likely to consider the proposal at a high-level meeting in the near future. If approved, the project will be one of the biggest undertaken for surface warship construction in India.

These new warships are planned to strengthen India’s amphibious warfare capability and serve as versatile platforms. The Navy intends for the LPDs to operate fixed-wing naval drones, act as command and control centres for extended shore-based operations, and carry air defence systems to counter aerial threats.

The vessels will also feature offensive capabilities, including long-range anti-ship missiles and drones.

Apart from military operations, the LPDs will support out-of-area contingency missions, transport and deploy large forces, and provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief when needed.

Indian shipyards are expected to lead the construction. Major domestic shipbuilders like L&T, Mazagon Dockyard, Cochin Shipyard, and Hindustan Shipyards Limited are likely to compete for the contract.

Global companies, including Spain’s Navantia, France’s Naval Group, and Italy’s Fincantieri, are expected to act as design partners to provide advanced technological expertise while enabling full integration in India.

The Indian Navy had earlier issued a request for information on the LPD project in 2021. Defence officials stated that the ships will be fully built and integrated in India, supporting the country’s push for self-reliance in naval shipbuilding.

The LPD project is part of a wider effort by the Indian Navy to strengthen its maritime capabilities. Earlier this year, the Navy commissioned three warships at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, and INS Vaghsheer, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

INS Nilgiri, the lead ship of the Project 17A stealth frigate class, was designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. It features advanced technology that improves survivability, stealth, and seakeeping,

The Navy has also received Androth, the second of eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts (ASW-SWC) built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata. This addition is expected to enhance India’s maritime capability in countering submarine threats, particularly amid growing Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean.

References: moneycontrol, ndtvprofit

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