Indonesian shipbuilder bags contract to supply landing platform dock to United Arab Emirates

 

The 163m LPD design from PT PAL. Photo c/o Valleryan through MaxDefense Philippines.

Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL (Persero) has signed a contract with United Arab Emirates Navy (UAEN).

The contract was signed on 01 July 2022, and was part of a total of six agreements between Indonesian and the United Arab Emirates signed during the visit of Indonesian President Joko Widodo to Abu Dhabi.

PT PAL has offered its landing platform dock (LPD) design to the UAE Ministry of Defence (MoD) since 2020 in response to Request for Information released to several international shipbuilders.

The design selected is a 163-meter variant of PT PAL’s LPD design, which is longer than the variant ordered by the Philippines last June 2022, and is closer to the design offered by PT PAL to meet the Royal Malaysian Navy’s Multi-Role Support Ship (MRSS) program.

The additional length allows for a longer helicopter landing facility for 3 medium helicopters, and a hangar large enough to accommodate 2 medium helicopters.

It also has highly customizable payload bays, and equipped with an automated launch and recovery system for Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB) and landing crafts.

According to Indonesian sources, the ship has a displacement of around 12,500 tonnes, a beam of 24 meters, a draft of 6 meters, and is capable of achieving a maximum speed of 18 knots and a cruising speed of 15 knots.

It can be armed with a variety of weapon systems including a 76mm naval gun, 20mm to 30mm remote controlled weapon stations or close-in weapon systems, heavy machine guns, and counter-measure systems

[1] Global Business Press Aerospace & Defence

[2] Cabinet Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia