Navantia and the Indian L&T (Larsen and Toubro) have closed an agreement to work together on the future program of four amphibious ships for the Indian Navy, known as the LPD program in India, according to a statement from the Spanish company on Thursday.
The alliance has materialized in Madrid with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which establishes a stable and long-term framework of cooperation between the two companies.
The agreement aims to combine the "excellence" of L&T in engineering with Navantia's experience in the design and construction of surface ships and submarines, with the goal of also promoting the development of local capabilities for the manufacturing of large ships.
LHD ships as a reference for the LPD program
Navantia has emphasized that it has a "broad trajectory" in LHD ships, which operate as aircraft carriers and facilitate the landing of troops, vehicles, and boats through an internal floodable dock, including the 'Juan Carlos I' for the Spanish Navy and the 'Canberra' and 'Adelaide' for the Australian Navy.
These already consolidated models will serve as a reference for the LPD program, which plans to purchase four platforms intended to support India's amphibious operations, as well as humanitarian aid missions, disaster response, and other naval operations.
On the occasion of the understanding, the senior vice president and head of precision engineering and systems at L&T, Arun Ramchandani, stated that this "collaboration brings together L&T's extensive capabilities in shipbuilding and Navantia's experience, to support the Indian Navy's LPD program, which is of high complexity."
"We are convinced that this alliance will help strengthen India's maritime capabilities and advance the country's autonomy to build such complex and essential platforms," he added. For his part, the director of operations and business at Navantia, Gonzalo Mateo-Guerrero, emphasized that they are "proud to strengthen their alliance with L&T."
"Navantia's experience in the design and development of strategic naval platforms, combined with L&T's excellence in engineering and its track record in shipbuilding, will allow for the development of the best technical solutions for the Indian Navy," he assured, specifying that Navantia also maintains its commitment to provide long-term support to L&T, the Indian Navy, and the other stakeholders involved throughout the entire life cycle of the LPDs.