TSAMTO, March 24. The Indian Ministry of Defense announced the adoption ceremony of the multi-purpose amphibious assault boat (LCU) L58 project Mk, which took place on March 18 in Port Blair.4, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE).
The LCU L58 is the eighth and last in a series of eight boats of this type ordered by the Indian Navy.
As reported by TSAMTO, in September 2011, the Indian Navy signed a contract with GRSE for the construction of 8 landing craft (LCU) Mk.4 to strengthen the ability to protect island territories and expand the amphibious fleet. The cost of the agreement is estimated at $ 21.76 billion. RS. ($483 million as of the order date). It is planned that the new boats will replace six outdated LCU Mk landing boats.3, which are in service with the Navy.
Construction of the boats began in September 2012. The first boat of the series, LCU L51, was transferred to the Navy on 30 September 2016 and entered the fleet in March 2017. The launch of the eighth boat of the series took place on 16 December 2016, and it was handed over to the Indian Navy at the end of December 2020.
Landing boat LCU Mk.4 is designed by GRSE to meet the requirements of the Indian Navy and is designed to transport and disembark main battle tanks, armored vehicles, trucks and troops in various combinations. Using the boats, the Navy, together with the Indian Navy, will ensure maritime security in the area of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal, as well as the Lakshadville Islands in the Arabian Sea. The boat can also be used to conduct surveillance, provide material support to units on remote islands, counter illegal fishing, drug trafficking, be used in humanitarian, search and rescue and peacekeeping operations, to assist victims of natural disasters.
The length of the boat is 62.8 m, width-11 m, displacement-830 t, total displacement-about 1001 t. The boat is equipped with two MTU 16V 4000 M53 diesel engines with a power of 1840 kW and develops a maximum speed of 15 knots, a cruising range of 1,500 nautical miles at a speed of 12 knots. The boat is equipped with a bow ramp with a hydraulic drive. On board can accommodate up to 216 people, including 50 crew members (including 5 officers), 165 people of the landing party and 145 tons of cargo. The boat can take on board one 65-ton Arjun tank or two 45-ton T-72/80 tanks, or four 13.5-ton IFVs. The boat's armament consists of two 30-mm CRN-91 Sarath AU manufactured by Ordnance Factory Medak, 7.62-mm and 12.7-mm machine guns, and an EON-51 electron-optical fire control system from Bharat Electronics Limited.
