On September 23, 2025, ANI reported that the Indian Navy is likely to issue a tender soon for the construction of four Landing Platform Docks (LPD) ships at an estimated cost of around ₹80,000 crore ($9.5B)
Likely bidders include Cochin Shipyard, L&T Shipbuilding, Garden Reach Shipbuilders, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. The bidders are expected to base their designs on LPDs from foreign countries such as Russia, France, Spain, and Italy. The ships would be built and integrated at Indian shipyards.
Naval Group has signed MoUs with Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam, to support its bid for the Navy’s LPD project.
The Need For LPD
LPDs are designed to transport and support combined-arms expeditionary forces. An LPD features a flight deck on the upper level for operating helicopters, drones, and VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) fighters, and a well dock on the lower level for carrying amphibious craft and ground mobility vehicles—both soft-skinned and armored.
By ballasting the stern, the ship can partially submerge the well dock, enabling amphibious vessels to dock or undock directly from the sea.
The Indian Army has almost 10,000 soldiers in three amphibious brigades earmarked to protect its strategically important island territories in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, as well as the Lakshadweep Islands.
The large amphibious ships, capable of carrying helicopters, ground mobility vehicles, and tanks along with troops, will allow the amphibious brigades to be deployed rapidly for operations in these territories.
INS Jalashwa
The procurement of the LPDs is a follow-up to the 2007 purchase of the 16,900-tonne USS Trenton.
The assault ship was acquired along with four landing craft for $92.5 million. It was rechristened INS Jalashwa and commissioned into the IN at Norfolk, USA, on June 22, 2007.
Based at Visakhapatnam, INS Jalashwa (a Sanskrit name for the hippopotamus), with its motto “The Fearless Pioneers”, is an amphibious assault ship.
Manned by a crew of about 27 officers and 380 sailors, the LPD has a length of about 175 metres and a width of 32 metres. It is capable of speeds up to 20 knots.
Besides INS Jalashwa, the Indian Navy operates four medium landing ships (Landing Ship Tanks or LSTs: one Magar-class and three Shardul-class) and eight smaller landing craft (Landing Craft Utilities or LCUs: all Mk IV class).
Fitful Procurement Process
The IN initiated procurement of LPDs in 2006 by drawing up the specifications. The tender for the vessels was first floated in 2013.
In September 2014, the MoD issued an RfP to three local private-sector shipyards—ABG, Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering—to build four 40,000-ton landing platform docks (LPDs) for the Indian Navy, at an estimated INR 250 billion (USD 4.16 billion).
In June 2018, IB Times reported that the procurement had stalled because of allegations of corruption leveled by Reliance Naval & Engineering Ltd. (RNEL) against a vice-admiral-rank IN officer. As a result, the procurement process was halted.
Around November 7, 2019, IN sources told ANI: “The specifications for the LPD were issued in 2006, and it has been almost 14 years. Now, we want to withdraw the tender and look around for advancements in technology for LPDs worldwide and then issue a fresh tender.”
In September 2020, the MoD withdrew the RFP.
In 2020, the Comptroller and Auditor General, in its report tabled in Parliament, highlighted the Navy’s failure to conclude the contract to procure the LPDs, despite deciding on the acquisition in 2010.
In November 2020, The Print reported that the IN was working on drafting a fresh ‘Request for Proposal’ (RFP) with new specifications for the LPDs.
On August 24, 2021, the IN issued a fresh RFI for the procurement of four LPDs from Indian shipyards.
The RFI states that the proposed LPDs would be acquired under the MoD’s Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP-2020), with the first vessel slated for delivery within 60 months of the contract being signed, and the remaining three at one-year intervals.
The probable bidders for the project include Cochin Shipyard, L&T Shipbuilding, Garden Reach Shipbuilders, and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders. The bidders are expected to use designs from LPDs of foreign countries such as Russia, France, Spain, and Germany.
Weapons Fit
It is likely that the IN has asked for a far more potent weapons fit in the 2021 RFI compared to the 2013 tender. The Navy wants the warships to be fully capable of defending against airborne (including aircraft and missiles), seaborne, and submarine threats.
The weapons fit sought includes:
- 32 Vertical Launch Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (VLSRSAM) for air defense.
- 16 anti-ship missiles for surface engagement.
- 4 AK-630 Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS) with electro-optical fire control systems for point defense.
- 6 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) with stabilized remote-controlled gun stations (SRCGs).
- 8 Medium Machine Guns (MMGs).
- Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) as an optional replacement for AK-630 CIWS once developed.
- Anti-Torpedo Decoy System (ATDS) for anti-submarine defense.
- Chaff launchers for electronic countermeasures.
Displacement
Based on specifications released in the past, it is likely that the LPD to be acquired will have a displacement of around 40,000 tonnes. (In comparison, INS Jalashwa has a displacement of 16,900 tonnes.)
As such, when built, the LPD would become the largest warship ever constructed in India to date—the 28,000-tonne aircraft carrier INS Viraat being the largest to date.
Hospital Facilities
Since the ship is capable of embarking over 2,000 combat troops, it will be equipped with extensive medical facilities. INS Jalashwa, for example, features four operating theatres, a 12-bed ward, a laboratory, and a dental center to ensure the health care of embarked personnel.
Conclusion
India urgently needs to acquire the capabilities to defend its far-flung island territories, particularly the Andaman and Nicobar island chain. Since the IN first felt the need to acquire LPDs, threat perceptions have heightened due to geopolitical realignments and consequent instability.
It remains to be seen if the fresh LPD tender is enough of a push for the heavy warship procurement to finally get moving.
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
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