Today on the world arms market there is a significant number of different types of ships with both amphibious and combat capabilities, while the largest subclass, the universal amphibious assault ship (UDC), corresponds in size and combat potential to an average aircraft carrier.
In general, we can conditionally distinguish three main subgroups of modern large amphibious assault ships with export prospects:
- universal amphibious assault ships with a total displacement of 16,000 to 30,000 tons with enhanced aviation capabilities;
- multifunctional helicopter landing ships-docks (DVKD) with a total displacement of 9,000 to 20,000 tons, focused on solving the maximum possible number of tasks;
- "cheap" amphibious transport docks (DTD) and small amphibious helicopter dock ships with a total displacement of 6,000 to 13,000 tons, focused mainly on solving amphibious transport problems.
In fact, the first two subgroups are close to each other in ideology; in Western terminology they practically do not differ, uniting into a single LHD class. As new "transitional" subclasses can be identified hybrid ships that combine amphibious transport capabilities with the tasks of supply ships, and the number of such units will increase in the future.
Despite the boom in the acquisition and construction of modern large amphibious ships, their market remains very small in terms of quantity. This is especially true of the UDC, the construction costs, manning and operation of which are so high that they make the contract for the supply of such a ship, in terms of the degree of uniqueness, comparable to contracts for the construction of full-fledged aircraft carriers. In view of this, the maximum that the "average" fleets of the world in the amphibious category can afford is the DVKD. The proposal of this particular subclass of ships has been developing most actively lately.
We can say that the global economic crisis has seriously "cooled" the market for large landing ships. There is intense competition and a clear oversupply. At the same time, the specificity (and often uncertainty) of customer requirements leads to an unusually wide range of project proposals, as well as the desire to create purely national non-standardized projects. It is obvious that now this is a buyer's market, and Russia, wishing to acquire as many as four Mistral-type UDCs, should not forget about it.
Since the article by Ilya Kramnik gives an idea of the universal amphibious assault ships, I will move on to describing their "brothers".
USA
It should be noted that the transfer and disembarkation of cargo and equipment by the Americans is now entrusted to specialized DVKD, considered as a kind of ships of the "second echelon" after the landing from the UDC. Since 2000, the United States has been building the San Antonio-type dvkd, replacing the Austin-type ships. The construction is carried out by Northrop Grumman at its own shipyards Ingalls Shipbuilding and Avondale Shipyard, the cost of one ship is from 1, 4 to 1, 7 billion dollars. Since 2006, five units have already been commissioned (LPD 17 - LPD 21), four more are in construction (LPD 22 - LPD 25), and in total it is planned to have 10 or 11 ships by 2014. DVKD type San Antonio are large ships with a total displacement of 25 thousand tons with diesel power. Stealth technology is used in the architecture of the ship. The ship is capable of carrying 704 people, a significant amount of equipment and is equipped with a hospital as standard. In the dock chamber there are two LCAC-type air cushion boats (KVP), and in the hangar there are two CH-46 helicopters or one CH-53E, or one MV-22B tiltrotor.
To replace the current American DTD, it is planned to begin construction of promising amphibious transports under the LSD (X) program with a total of 11-12 units from 2020. The total displacement of the ship is estimated at 22 thousand tons, the preliminary cost is $ 1.2 billion per unit.
However, all of the above US Navy ships are of interest mainly as the most advanced and perfect units of modern development of the amphibious assault class, since they are not offered for export and, in principle, have no export prospects due to their compliance with specific American requirements and their high cost. At the same time, the old dock ships being withdrawn from the US Navy are finding a certain demand. Brazil in 1990 rented two former American Thomaston type DTDs, Taiwan received LSD 38 Pensacola DTD in 1999, and India acquired LPD 14 Trenton DTD in 2006.
UNITED KINGDOM
To replace two old Fearless type diesel engines, the British fleet ordered in 1996 and in 2003-2004 put into operation the Albion and Bulwark LPDs, built at the BAE Systems shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness. These are quite large (full displacement - 18, 5 thousand tons) ships of traditional "dock" architecture, possessing a large dock chamber (accommodate four landing craft of the LCU type or one LCAC aircraft carrier) and are mainly focused on the transportation of equipment (capacity - up to 67 different machines, including 31 tanks, and 300 troops). At the same time, in the presence of an extensive helicopter deck, the permanent basing of helicopters on ships is not envisaged, since the data of the DVKD must interact with the landing helicopter carrier Ocean. Albion and Bulwark also have equipment for use as command ships. The ships are equipped with diesel-electric propulsion systems.
As a cheaper option to replenish the amphibious forces, the UK ordered four Bay-type LSDs in 2000-2001, built in pairs by Swan Hunter in Tyneside and BAE Systems in Govan and handed over to the Navy in 2006-2007. The project was developed by Swan Hunter based on the Enforcer series of landing ships of the Dutch company Royal Schelde. The main task of Bay-type ships (full displacement - 16, 2 thousand tons) is considered to be the transportation and unloading of cargo and equipment, and mainly in equipped ports. The dock chamber accommodates only one landing craft of the LCU type, while the cargo capacity reaches 150 vehicles or 24 tanks, and the landing capacity is 356 people. Aviation capabilities are represented by one airstrip for heavy helicopters. The cost of the ships was only 95 million pounds per unit, and in general, these DTDs are a typical type of modern low-cost amphibious transport ships, which are becoming more common even in the navies of the third world.
NETHERLANDS
In the early 90s, Dutch and Spanish shipbuilders jointly developed a project of a multifunctional full-fledged DCS for the fleets of both countries, according to which the ships Rotterdam (entered service in 1998) for the Netherlands Navy and Galicia and Castilla (1998-2001) for the Navy were built. Spain. Rotterdam has made a big impression on naval professionals around the world. This DVKD not only served as a direct prototype for the creation of similar ships in a number of other countries, but also initiated a kind of boom in amphibious construction.
With a total displacement of 12,750 tons, Rotterdam has a typical "transport and dock" architecture, with a high degree of automation, considerable amphibious capacity (588 marines and 170 units of equipment) and significant aviation capabilities. It has a large flight deck and superstructure hangar for six NH90 medium helicopters or four heavy AW101 helicopters. At the same time, anti-submarine helicopters can also be based on the ship, for which it is equipped with cellars for storing aviation ammunition and sonar buoys. Rotterdam is adapted to perform the tasks of search and rescue, delivery of humanitarian supplies, command ship, hospital ship, floating base of mine-sweeping forces, etc. DVKD is built to commercial standards and equipped with an electric power plant.
In 2000, the Dutch government decided to replenish the country's Navy with a second improved Rotterdam-type DVKD. The ship Johan De Witt was built by the Damen group with the manufacture of the hull at its shipyard in Galati (Romania), followed by the completion of Damen Schelde in Vlissingen and was handed over to the fleet in 2007. It differs from the lead ship Johan De Witt in size (the total displacement has been brought to 16, 8 thousand tons), which made it possible to increase the size of the dock chamber, bring the landing capacity to 700 people, and also place a command center for the forces of the Navy on the ship. The electric power plant is supplemented with rudder propellers.
Based on the experience of creating ships Rotterdam, the Royal Schelde shipyard (now Damen Schelde) in the 90s developed and is now promoting to the market a whole range of LPDs under the Enforcer code, including 12 projects of various sizes, both "dock" and aircraft carrier (UDC) architecture. Although the largest projects of the Enforcer series did not find customers, one of the "junior" variants became the basis for the British Bay type DTD. In 2009, the Enforcer LPD 8000 project was chosen by the Chilean Navy as the basis for the construction of one ship (9000 tons, landing capacity - 500 people) at the national shipyard.
At the end of 2009, the Dutch military department awarded Damen a contract for 365 million euros for the construction of a multipurpose supply vessel Karel Doorman with a total displacement of 27.8 thousand tons. This is an interesting hybrid DVKD with an integrated supply vessel, designed to solve a wide range of tasks to support amphibious operations and support the combat activities of the Navy. The vessel is equipped with a dock chamber, cargo decks with an area of 1,730 m2, an extensive hangar for basing six NH90 helicopters or two CH-47 helicopters, as well as significant volumes for the transport of cargo and fuel. Construction of Karel Doorman will follow the same lines as Johan De Witt and should be completed by 2014.
Another Dutch developer of modern landing craft projects is the IHC Merwede company. She created a project for a relatively small (full displacement of 9000 tons) multipurpose ship Canterbury, ordered by New Zealand, which is essentially a compact DVKD. The Canterbury is based on a civilian ro-ro vessel, built at the IHC Merwede shipyard in Rotterdam with completion by Tenix in Australia and handed over to the customer in 2007. The ship does not have a classic dock - two LCM-type landing craft descend through a ramp in the stern and are loaded afloat using 60-ton cranes. The landing capacity of Canterbury is 360 people and 54 units of wheeled vehicles. The hangar accommodates four NH90 helicopters.
GERMANY
In 2009, Germany developed a plan for building a fleet until 2025 (Flotte 2025+), according to which it is planned to build two Joint Support Ship (JSS) and two Mehrzweckeinsatzschiffs (MZES) multipurpose dock ships - the latter are designed to play the role of amphibious transports, floating bases and supply vessels. At the same time, for the UDC of the JSS type, requirements are put forward for the transportation of at least 800 personnel with equipment, which, according to German estimates, will require ships with a displacement of 27-30 thousand tons. As an alternative, three JSSs are proposed with a capacity of 400 people each with equipment with a full displacement of about 20 thousand tons. Due to the obvious high cost of these projects, the final decision on their implementation has been postponed until 2016.
Blohm + Voss (now part of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems - TKMS) over the past decade has proactively developed and promoted to the world market a series of DWKD concepts (and in fact even UDC) MRD150 / MHD150 / MHD200 (the number means the total displacement in hundreds of tons) original "semi-aerial" architecture. The MHD150 variant is capable of transporting up to 776 Marines, has a dock for two LCM boats or one LCAC aircraft carrier, and can also provide a permanent base in the hangar for 11 NH90 helicopters. At the same time, the electric power plant allows you to reach speeds of up to 22 knots. Ships of these projects were offered to a number of customers (in particular Portugal and South Africa), but orders were never received.
A further development of these projects was the project proposed by TKMS for the modular multipurpose vehicle MEK MESHD (Multi-role Expeditionary Support Helicopter Dock) - a kind of UDC capable, in addition to solving amphibious tasks, also perform the functions of a transport and an integrated supply ship. Its total displacement reaches 21 thousand tons, while the internal volumes of the ship can vary, transforming according to needs into helicopter hangars (accommodating a maximum of 14 NH90 helicopters), decks for transporting equipment and cargo, hospitals, etc. The MEK MESHD project is proposed in as the basis for future German ships JSS.
ITALY
The first step towards the development of modern amphibious assault ships in Italy was the creation of a DVKD of the original design of the San Giorgio type. With a total displacement of only 8000 tons, this ship has an aircraft carrier architecture with a continuous upper flight deck and very high transport capabilities (up to 400 people with equipment), although due to the absence of a hangar, it does not provide a permanent basing of helicopters. The San Giorgio can be used as a training ship, and has also focused on possible use in humanitarian missions from the outset. In 1987-1994, three DVKDs of this type were introduced into the Italian Navy - San Giorgio, San Marco and the modified San Giusto. Initially, they had a bow ramp for direct landing of equipment on the shore, however, based on operating experience, this method was considered inappropriate.
In early 2006, the Ministry of Defense of the country announced a 15-year plan for the development of the Italian fleet, according to which it is planned to replace three San Giorgio-type DVKDs by 2020 with ships of the same class, but with a larger displacement, and the Italian light aircraft carrier Guiseppe Garibaldi is supposed to be replaced by a large one. UDC (LHA), capable of carrying F-35B aircraft.
SWEDEN
In 2008, the Swedish government decided to build two multipurpose ships for the national fleet under the designation L10, the commissioning of which is scheduled for 2014-2015 (although, perhaps, for financial reasons, the case will be limited to one unit). The project is being developed by the Swedish company Saltech. The ships must solve the tasks of transporting and disembarking troops, and also play the role of supply vessels and floating bases. The total displacement of the L10 will be 13,430 tons, the cargo deck area is 2,150 m2, the landing capacity is 170 people, and two NH90 helicopters should be based in the hangar. There is no dock camera, but up to 12 Combatboat assault boats can be accommodated with both a slip and a crane.
JAPAN
In 1998-2003, the country's naval self-defense forces included three nationally developed Oosumi type DVKDs, built by the Mitzui shipyards in Tamano and Hitachi in Maizuru and structurally close to the Italian San Giorgio. The total displacement of the Japanese ships is 14 thousand tons, they are equipped with a diesel power plant and have an aircraft carrier architecture, while there is no under-deck hangar and the basing of helicopters (two CH-47s and two SH-60s) is provided only on deck. The dock chamber accommodates two LCAC aircrafts. Airborne capacity - 330 people and up to 40 armored vehicles (including up to 10 tanks).
SOUTH KOREA
This country became the third in the world to own a full-fledged universal amphibious assault ship (after the United States and France), having introduced into the fleet in 2007 the UDC Dokdo, designed and built by Hanjin Heavy Industries in Busan. With a total displacement of 19 thousand tons, Dokdo has an aircraft carrier architecture, a dock chamber with two LCAC aircrafts and an under-deck hangar that can accommodate up to 10 UH-60 helicopters. Airborne capacity - 720 people and up to 40 pieces of equipment (including six tanks). The ship carries a fairly significant defensive armament. The diesel power plant provides a speed of up to 23 knots.
In general, the concept of the UDC Dokdo is of interest, since, apparently, unlike similar ships in other countries, it is focused not on overseas expeditionary operations, but on operations in coastal waters. The South Korean Navy plans to have three such UDCs, considering them as flagship units of the three naval strike groups being formed. It also refers to the possibility of ensuring the basing of F-35B aircraft on them.
South Korean corporation Daewoo developed a low-cost DVKD export project, in which its Daesun Shipbuilding in Busan built for Indonesia in 2003 for only 35 million dollars Tanjung Dalpele, intended mainly for use as a hospital ship. Its total displacement is 11.4 thousand tons, it is built according to civilian standards, but has all the features of a modern DVKD, including a dock chamber for two LCM boats, an extensive helicopter deck and a hangar for the permanent basing of two Super Puma helicopters. The airborne capacity is 518 people, the acceptance of a significant amount of equipment, including 13 light tanks, has been ensured. In 2004, Indonesia signed a $ 150 million contract for the construction of four ships of the same modified design with the same characteristics already for use as full-fledged amphibious assault ships (Makassar class). Two DVKDs were manufactured by Daesun Shipbuilding in Busan and commissioned in 2007, while the other two were built under license by the Indonesian state-owned association PT PAL in Surabaya for transfer to the fleet in 2009-2010. A number of other Asian countries are showing interest in these ships.
CHINA
The first amphibious assault ship of the Chinese fleet of the new generation was the Kunlunshan DWKD, project 071, built by the Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard and commissioned into the Chinese Navy at the end of 2007. Project 071 (western designation Yuzhao) is a large ship (estimated total displacement - from 20 to 25 thousand tons), for which the American DVKD clearly served as a model. Kunlunshan is capable of carrying, it is believed, up to 800 people with equipment, four small or two large Chinese-made KVPs are placed in an extensive dock chamber, and up to four heavy Z-8 helicopters are provided in the hangar. Now in Shanghai the construction of the second ship, project 071, is underway. The Chinese association CTSC, in addition, in 2008 offered a reduced version of this project (with a total displacement of 13 thousand tons) for a tender in Malaysia.
The Western press claims that the further development of the amphibious forces in the PRC will allegedly be associated with the construction of the UDC of project 081. There are no details about this ship, and in any case, its construction has not yet begun.
