India commissions its sixth Mk. IV Landing Craft Utility

An example of an LCU Mk. IV of the Indian Navy. Photo c/o Wikimedia Commons.


The Indian Navy has commissioned its sixth Mk. IV Landing Craft Utility (LCU) in ceremonies held in Kolkata on 30 March 2019.

The LCU will hull number L 56 is part of a INR21 billion (US$303 million) contract with Indian shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) to supply and build a fleet of eight (8) new Mk. IV landing crafts for the Indian Navy.

The commissioning of L 56 also coincides with GRSE delivering its 100th warship, the first Indian shipbuilder in reaching the milestone.

The Mk. IV LCU was designed by GRSE, and has a length of 62.8 meters, a maximum beam of 11 meters, and a draught of 2.2 meters. It displaces at 830 tons, is powered by two MTU 16V 4000M53 diesel engines with 2 fixed pitched propellers and attaining a maximum speed of 15 knots.

The ship is armed with two 30mm guns using the CRN 91 Sarath remote controlled weapon station, support by a Bharat Electronics EON-51 EO/IR fire control system.

Each LCU can carry up to 160 fully equipped soldiers.



[1] Indian Expres
[2] Jane’s Navy International

India commissions its sixth Mk. IV Landing Craft Utility India commissions its sixth Mk. IV Landing Craft Utility Reviewed by Asia Pacific Defense Journal on April 05, 2019 Rating: 5

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