>The Request For Proposal For Turkish LPD Has Been Issued

>Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), issued a request for proposal for the construction of one docked landing ship (LPD) for Turkish Navy.

The LPD is the biggest project of Amphibious War fighting road map of Turkish Navy declared in 2006. The long terms amphibious ship acquisition goals of Turkish Navy are following:

• One LPD
• Two LST’s
• 8 fast LCT’s
• 27 AAV/AAAV’s

The construction of eight LCT’s has been already started. The tender for the two LST’s has been awarded, the contract negotiations are continuing.

With the issue of the RFP the official acquisition process of the LPD has started. It is noteworthy that the RFI was send only to shipyards registered in Defense Industries Sectoral Strategy Document

1. Anadolu Deniz İnşaat Kızakları A.Ş.
2. Çelik Tekne Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş.
3. DEARSAN Gemi İnşaat Sanayi A.Ş.
4. DESAN Deniz İnşaat Sanayi A.Ş.
5. İstanbul Denizcilik Gemi İnşa San ve Tic. A.Ş
6. RMK Marine Gemi Yapım Sanayi A.Ş.
7. SEDEF Gemi İnşaatı A.Ş.

As I do have access to the details of the RFP, I cannot say at if foreign companies can build ventures with those shipyards mentioned above. But Turkish Navy never operated any LPD’s before and these shipyards did not build one before. Thus some kind if foreign know-how will be / might be use full.

The commissioning of the above mentioned new amphibious ships will change the power projection capabilities of Turkish Navy fundamentally. The LPD will surely be used for humanitarian missions as well.