Philippine Navy new 124-meter Landing Platform Dock
The future 124-meter Landing Platform Dock for the Philippine Navy is based on an improved Tarlac-class (above) design. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | unnamed class |
| Builders | PT PAL Indonesia |
| Operators | Philippine Navy |
| Preceded by | Tarlac-class landing platform dock |
| Cost | PH₱2.78 billion (~US$50.5M) per ship [1] |
| Built | 2023-2025 |
| In commission | 2026-2027 (expected) |
| Planned | 2 |
| Building | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Landing Platform Dock |
| Displacement | 7,200 tons |
| Length | 124 m (406 ft 10 in) |
| Beam | 21.8 m (71 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 6.7 m (22 ft 0 in) |
| Installed power | 4 × diesel generators |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) @ 85% MCR |
| Range | 9,360 nmi (17,330 km; 10,770 mi) @ 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) cruising speed |
| Endurance | 30 days (crew), 15 days (full) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Capacity | 500 troops plus associated vehicles and equipment |
| Complement | 121 crew (including air crew) |
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 x 10-ton naval helicopter |
| Aviation facilities |
|
The Philippine Navy's new 124-meter Landing Platform Dock is a class of two ships being constructed by PT PAL Indonesia for the navy's Landing Dock Acquisition Project. The class is an improvement on the previously commissioned Tarlac-class which was also constructed by PT PAL. The ships are being acquired as part of Horizon 2 of the Revised AFP Modernization Program, which was set to cover the period of 2018 to 2022.[1]
The ship class has yet to be named. The steel cutting ceremony of the first ship was conducted on 10 August 2023.[3]
Development
Concept Design
The Philippine Navy included plans to procure 2 new landing platform docks as part of its Horizon 2 modernization phase, with the proposal with a budget of PHP5.56 billion among those approved in-principle by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2018.[1][4] This would allow the Philippine Navy to increase its sealift and amphibious assault capabilities to reach its planned overall capability.[5]
The Philippines' Department of National Defense (DND) signed a contract with Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL Indonesia on 24 June 2022,[6] with the shipbuilder delivering a variant of their improved 123-meter Strategic Sealift Vessel / Tarlac-class design.[1][7][5]
According to the technical specifications released as part of the project's tender documents, the ship will have improvements over the current Tarlac-class landing platform docks, despite both classes originating from a similar base design.[5] The improvements were formulated based on the Philippine Navy's experience in operating the Tarlac-class, and knowing its strengths and shortcomings.[5]
Armaments
The Philippine Navy released information to tenderers that the ships are to be built with allowance for a 76-millimeter (3.0 in) Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid main gun, two 30mm Aselsan SMASH secondary guns, either the Rheinmetall Oerlikon Millennium Gun or the Aselsan GOKDENIZ gun-based close-in weapon systems, and 8 manually operated 12.7mm heavy machine guns.[1]
PT PAL confirmed in released proposals that their submitted landing docks design allows for a 76-millimeter (3.0 in) (3 in) main gun on the foredeck, two stern-facing 30 mm (1.2 in) secondary guns will also be fitted, one each on the port and starboard sides.[1] The weapons systems are supposed to be installed separately by the Philippine Navy after delivery.
Flight support
Originally, the ships were designed to accommodate two medium-sized (10-ton) helicopters on the flight deck, and one similar-sized helicopter on the hangar, with the specifications emphasizing the US-made Sikorsky Black Hawk and Italian-made AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter as basis. But changes in the Philippine Navy's requirement later on changed the design to have a hangar for one medium (10-ton) helicopter and a flight deck for two medium (10-ton) helicopters.
Ship systems
On 20 July 2024, defense contractor EID, a subsidiary of Cohort plc, announced that it had secured a contract with PT PAL to supply its Integrated Communications Control System (ICCS) for integration into the landing platform docks under construction for the Philippine Navy.[8][9]
Construction
The first landing platform dock has officially started its construction on 10 August 2023 where a first steel cutting ceremony was held in PT PAL's facility in Surabaya, Indonesia[3] while the second landing platform dock has officially started its construction on 22 January 2024.[10] It is expected that the ship would be completed by 2024, and delivered to the Philippine Navy by 2025.
Ships of class
| Ship name | Hull number | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Service | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBC | TBC | 22 January 2024[11][12] | Sealift Amphibious Force | Under construction | ||
| TBC | TBC | 29 May 2024 [13] | Sealift Amphibious Force | Under construction |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Landing Docks Acquisition Project". Philippine Defense Resource. 17 June 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ Montero, Max (2019-06-18). "Discussing the Technical Requirements of the 2 new Landing Platform Docks for the Philippine Navy". MaxDefense Philippines. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ a b "PT PAL Begins Construction Of The Philippine Navy's LPD". Naval News. 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Mangosing, Frances (10 June 2022). "Navy buying more new ships". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b c d "The Philippine Navy's Landing Docks Acquisition Project". Pitz Defense Analysis. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Philippines Procures Two More LPD From Indonesia's PT PAL". Naval News. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Indonesian firm to build 2 more landing docks for PH". Philippine News Agency. 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Two new Philippine Navy LPD's will have military communications systems made in Portugal". EID. 30 July 2024. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Ng, Jr (1 August 2024). "EID wins naval communications deal for Philippine sealift vessels". Asian Military Review. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Nepomuceno, Priam (23 January 2024). "Construction of PH Navy's 2 new landing docks starts in Indonesia". Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Rahmat, Ridzwan (22 January 2024). "PT PAL lays down first modified variant of Tarlac-class LPD for the Philippines". Janes. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Awali Tahun 2024, PT PAL Indonesia Segera Lakukan Ceremony Kedua Proyek Ekspor Kapal Perang Filipina". PT PAL (in Indonesian). Retrieved 22 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "PT PAL lays down keel for second modified variant of Tarlac-class amphibious ship". Janes. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.