Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and Indian engineering major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly pursue the Indian Navy’s programme for four amphibious assault ships, officially referred to as the Landing Platform Dock (LPD) programme. The agreement was signed in Madrid and establishes a framework for long-term cooperation between the two companies.
The partnership brings together L&T’s engineering and shipbuilding capabilities with Navantia’s expertise in designing and constructing surface ships and submarines. It is also intended to strengthen India’s domestic capacity to build large naval platforms, combining local industrial capabilities with Navantia’s experience in complex military vessel design.
Navantia plans to draw on its experience with Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) vessels, including Juan Carlos I, operated by the Spanish Navy, and Canberra and Adelaide, serving with the Royal Australian Navy. Designs from this family of ships are expected to provide the foundation for the companies’ proposal under India’s four-vessel programme.
The Indian Navy’s requirement for these ships has been under consideration for several years. A Request for Information (RFI) was issued in 2021, outlining the need for four vessels approximately 200 metres long, with electric propulsion and the capacity to carry around 900 troops. The requirements also included a through-deck configuration capable of operating different types of helicopters, a feature associated with LHDs.
The proposed ships are intended to transport and deploy personnel and equipment during amphibious operations. Landing Platform Docks can operate as platforms for launching landing craft and deploying helicopters, supporting expeditionary missions and other naval requirements. The Indian Navy’s broader specifications also envisage capabilities for operating unmanned vehicles and supporting future naval systems.
Commenting on the partnership, Arun Ramchandani, Senior Vice President and Head of Precision Engineering & Systems at L&T, said the collaboration combines the company’s shipbuilding capabilities with Navantia’s expertise in military vessel design and construction. He expressed confidence that the alliance would support the Indian Navy’s complex LPD programme, strengthen India’s maritime capabilities and advance domestic capacity to construct sophisticated naval platforms.
Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, Director of Operations and Business at Navantia, said the company’s experience in designing strategic naval platforms, combined with L&T’s engineering strengths and shipbuilding track record, would help develop technical solutions for the Indian Navy. He added that Navantia would provide long-term support to L&T, the Navy and other stakeholders throughout the ships’ lifecycle.
The programme is significant for the Indian Navy’s amphibious fleet, which has faced a reduction in capability following the retirement of older landing ships. The Navy currently operates INS Jalashwa, a former US Navy amphibious transport dock, alongside Shardul-class landing ships, INS Gharial and other landing craft.
The MoU establishes a collaborative framework for the two companies to pursue the programme; it does not itself constitute a shipbuilding contract. The partnership will seek to combine international design experience with Indian engineering and construction capabilities as the procurement process advances.
