Around mid-October 2026, the Indian Navy issued a request for proposals (RfP) for four landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious ships.
This RfP issuance was announced by Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, during a curtain raiser for the IN’s flagship Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Seminar called Swavlamban 2026.
India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded its acceptance of necessity for the procurement of these LPDs back in October 2025. However, the request for information for the procurement had actually been announced in August 2021, and the navy has been pursuing their procurement since 2010.
The new LPDs will enhance the IN’s ability to undertake amphibious operations alongside the Indian Army and Indian Air Force. They will also perform peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions.
All four LPDs are planned to be built at an Indian shipyard, and it is envisaged they will have a full-electric propulsion system.
Several Indian shipyards are eyeing the navy’s LPD contract, including state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).
CSL announced a partnership with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in July 2025, while HSL has entered into an agreement with Naval Group of France.
Elsewhere, the Spanish shipbuilder Navantia and India’s Larsen and Toubro (L&T) announced a strategic partnership in October 2026 to target this amphibious assault ship requirement.
Navantia and L&T formalised their agreement on 8 October in Madrid with the signing of a memorandum of understanding to create a long-term collaboration framework. Both firms had earlier partnered for the Indian Navy’s P75(I) submarine programme.
Navantia said its designs will serve as the basis for the Indian LPD programme. It has previously built landing helicopter dock ships, such as the Juan Carlos I for the Spanish Navy and HMAS Canberra and Adelaide for the Royal Australian Navy.
by Atul Chandra
