The Philippines is an archipelago country, with large differences in development and frequent natural disasters, and has always maintained an old but practical landing ship fleet to meet the daily needs of the military and domestic disaster relief. In the new century, the popular wind finally blew to the Philippines, and this is 2 strategic transport ships.
One
At the beginning of the century, the Malaysian Navy used civilian container ships to transform into two Jinhua-class sea base ships, which can provide long-term sea support for special operations units and helicopters.
This kind of demand is common around the South China Sea, but due to the lack of supply ships and large combat ships, it is impossible to maintain an effective presence for a long time, let alone achieve control, and the existence of reciprocity cannot be realized. For example, when a typhoon comes, small ships must return to port to take shelter.
In the end, on the basis of traditional landing ships, many countries in Southeast Asia put forward the demand for personnel transportation, landing ships, hospital ships, and base ships, and the most suitable platform is the dock transport ship, which can not only provide a better living environment and carry a large number of personnel, but also can be loaded with assault boats, amphibious combat vehicles, and helicopters.
The Indonesian Navy, which has the same needs as the Philippine Navy, but on a much larger scale, acquired South Korean technology at the beginning of the century and was satisfied with the construction of five Makassar-class dock transport ships and two hospital ships by the Surabaya Shipyard.
In 2014, the Philippines entered into an arms sales agreement with Indonesia, known as the Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV). In January 2015, Indonesia's lead ship for the Philippines, the BRP Tarlac Danlu (LD-601), began construction and entered service in 2016. Ship No. 2 BRP Davao del Sur Davao (LD-602), commissioned in 2017. The hull was built for 1 year and outfitting for 4 months.
Two
With a length of 125 meters and a width of 25 meters, a standard displacement of 7,200 tons and a full load displacement of 12,000 tons, the strategic transport ship instantly became the largest ship in the Philippines.
The hull is square and full, with a bridge-like superstructure and a thick mast, which can be equipped with a large radar antenna in the future. The superstructure has large openings on both sides to accommodate large speedboats. The rear is a hangar with a chimney on each side of the top of the hangar. At the rear of the superstructure is a large flight deck with two take-off and landing points.
There is a crane at the front of the flight deck for material transfer. There is a large opening underneath that allows direct access to and from the vehicle deck. Below the flight deck is the dock cabin, which is mainly used for amphibious combat vehicles to enter and exit. The ship can carry 10 amphibious assault vehicles, 2 helicopters, 500 landing troops, and if necessary, a mobile hospital.
The armament is mainly artillery, and it is planned to install one 76 gun in front of the bridge and one small-caliber rapid-fire gun on each side of the top of the hangar, which is not yet in place. The electronic equipment of this class of ships is relatively simple, and it is speculated that the next step will be to gradually improve communications, early warning and detection, and armament, and act as a maritime command ship.
The main power is 2 diesel engines with a maximum speed of 16 knots. The cruising speed is 14 knots, and the cruising power is 6000 nautical miles.
Three
As the largest and most modern ship in the Philippines, this class of ships has been active since it entered service.
The first ship participated in multinational naval activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Navy, and participated in the ship parades of South Korea and Japan. However, the process is often awkward, because of the low speed and low level of control, the ship cannot enter the formation and maintain the formation in time. In the end, this 10,000-ton ship is often arranged at the end of the formation.
The positive significance of this class of ships is that they have gradually accumulated relatively rich experience in the operation of large ships and foreign exchanges, which provides the most basic personnel support for the modernization of Philippine personnel and the acceptance of South Korean-built frigates.
In terms of specific application, the function of sea base ships is becoming increasingly prominent. In reef control, the class is planned to use dock compartments to carry MKIII missile boats. The missile boat can carry 8 extended-range Spike missiles, which has an advantage in close conflicts.
If a strategic transport ship is deployed, it can theoretically dispatch missile boats, helicopters, amphibious assault vehicles, and assault speedboats, and take the initiative in local sea areas. In the control of small islands and reefs, the three-dimensional force should not be underestimated.