"The renewal of the Italian Navy Fleet in the 2010-2020 time-frame" by Admiral Tortora, head of the italian navy new constructions department.
The need for new, more performing LHDs is strongly perceived as one of the higher priorities of the
Navy. As far as the operational scenarios are concerned, missions and tasks will be carried out
mostly in the proximity of coastal waters and/or in narrow and shallow basins.
Threat is considered mostly asymmetrical, deriving from small terrorist groups, equipped with
medium-low technology off-the-shelf weapons. Recent events call for the necessity to keep a clear
tri-dimensional maritime and coastal picture against a wide spectrum of threats available to the
counterpart (i.e. fast boats, explosive pontoons and fishing boats, conventional or improvised naval
mines, radio controlled explosive aircraft and vessels, rockets, light artillery, etc.).
Less likely, but still possible, threats might be performed by air and naval conventional assets, such
as aircraft, frigates and destroyers or submarines.
- Operational Capabilities
The perspective tonnage of the ship is 16.000-17.000, large enough to accommodate 600 marines,
plus about 120 crew members and about 130 add-ons for the flight and medical components. On
the whole, the accommodation capacity required is 850 berths, with different accommodation
standards.
It is considered that a low cost active defence systems should be sufficient to provide a limited selfdefence
capability to counter fast boats and UAV.
It is also required to include passive and active measures in order to ensure the survivability of the
ship in case of a mine or torpedo explosion, as well as to adopt torpedo detection or deception
systems on board.
In principle the ship will be designed and built in accordance with merchant ships regulations and
standards, pursuing high reliability and easy maintainability.
Although the type of propulsion is not yet defined, it is deemed necessary to be able to maintain a
continuous speed of at least 20-22 knots with sea state 3, even though a NATO requirement for this
type of unit foresees a speed in excess of 24 knots. The ship shall have an endurance up to 7000
nautical mile at 16 knots.
- Macro-function “Amphibious Warfare”
The ship shall be able to transport, launch, support and withdraw a Landing Force and the related
assets. Therefore, she shall have:
⇒ capability to transport, land and re-embark a CLF Brigade Command Post;
⇒ accommodation for the landing forces for up to 5 combat days;
⇒ capability to launch – through 5 spots3 – up to 8 helicopters, 6 capable of carrying out a
company’s assault operations and 2 capable of close air support;
⇒ capability to recover in hangar up to 5 helicopters;
⇒ capability to launch and recover amphibious personnel and assets (for a total of 1.200
linear meters, equivalent to about 180 vehicles including tanks and armored vehicles)
using also the ship’s dock and the 50% of the flight deck4;
⇒ a ship’s dock made of suitable structure to carry 4 LCM (Landing Craft, Mechanized)
and to allow vehicle loading and unloading activities of 2 LCM inside the dock
simultaneously (the possibility to make the ship interoperable with Landing Craft Air
Cushion and/or Partial Air Cushion has to be evaluated);
⇒ a rail trolley system over the dock deck capable to move at least 30 tons of materials;
⇒ adequate flexibility for shipload reshaping (vehicles and materials) also at sea, thanks
to rail trolley/moving palette system/supply elevators, foreseeing possible use of the
hangar if necessary.
- Macro-function “Command Control Communications” (C3)
The ship will be fitted with a C3 integrated system, including wide-band satellite systems and local
area networks for information delivery inside the ship. The possibility to board and operate a
Composite Warfare Command tasked as CATF/CLF has to be defined.
However, the ship will be provided with adequate C4I capabilities in order to be able to maintain a
local air/maritime picture for the co-ordination of the naval and land assets in the operational
scenario.
- Macro-function “Defence”
The ship shall be provided with self-defence capability (artillery and machine-guns systems) against
asymmetrical threats coming from all the directions and filtered in through the security framework
provided by the escort combat ships.
Besides, the ship shall have the capability to operate under CBRN threat and, in case of this
occurrence, to provide collective defence to personnel and on-board equipments/systems, in order
to permit:
⇒ the recovery and reclaiming of personnel and vehicles;
⇒ the manoeuvre of the ship, in safeness, outside the contaminated area.
- Macro-function “Medical Support”
The active role that this ship must be able to play in disaster relief situations is a design constraint
of high relevance. As far as the possible missions are concerned, the medical arrangements should
be able to ensure at least a “ROLE 2 PLUS”5 for managing the following events:
⇒ surgical reception and treatment of casualties evacuated from the combat areas;
⇒ management of a massive medical emergency (crash on the flight deck, reception of
personnel evacuated by another attacked or burnt down ship);
⇒ surgery management of the embarked personnel;
⇒ radiological and laboratory diagnostics,
⇒ routine or emergency medical assistance;
⇒ dental treatment.
At least 50 beds for in-patients and an adequate number of beds for intensive/semi-intensive care
patients (with at least 15 days autonomy) shall be provided, as well a modern hospital area
equipped with a triage reception to select casualties from the battle field and the ships. Telemedicine
equipments will be available to increase the treatment capabilities.
In order to arrange the above mentioned medical structures, an area of approximately 700 square
meters is required. In case of disaster relief event, the ship’s medical capabilities shall be increased
through a system of modular medical shelters.
In order to meet the requirement specifically related to disaster relief activities, the ship will be
equipped with:
⇒ a fresh water desalinization system capable of supplying up to 150 tons per day through
pumping pipelines;
⇒ emergency power system to supply shore buildings accommodating up to 1000 people.
Landing Helicopter Dock:
Length Over All 165,0 m
Length Between Perpendicular 147,0 m
Beam max 31,0 m
Full Load Displacement abt. 16.000 t
Corresponding Draft abt. 6,3 m
Flight deck height abt. 24,5 m
Main Garage Deck height 8,5 m
Speed: 22 n
Range: 7.000 nm at cruise speed
Accommodation: up to 900 (150 crew+700 troops)
Command & Control: up to 300 m2 available
Flight deck: 5 spots for EH 101 or 7 smaller helos
Helo hangar: parking area for 5 EH 101
Vehicle deck: up to 1.200 metric lanes
Hospital area: 700 m2 + 1.000 m2 convertible area.
Floodable dock: 50 x 15 m
Vehicle ramps 1 stern 1 side (60 t)
JDS Hyuga. I think the actual capacity of the ship is closer 24-30 helos rater than the 14 helos the JMSDF claims. However knowing the luxurious crew accommodations required by the JMSDF as compared to other navies perhaps there would not be enough room aboard for support personnel to maintain that many helos. And the fully loaded displacement of the ship is closer to 22,000 tons. 
