Strategic Sealift Vessel (Philippine Navy)

Makassar class, which will be used as basis for the SSV
Class overview
Name: "Strategic Sealift Vessel"
Builders: PT PAL (Persero), Surabaya, Indonesia
Operators:  Philippine Navy
Cost: $46 million (without weapons and sensors)
In service: expected by 2016
Building: 2
Planned: 2
Completed: 0
Cancelled: 0
Active: 0
General characteristics y
Class and type:"Strategic Sealift Vessel" class
Type:Landing Platform Dock
Displacement:10,300 tons full load
Length:123.00 m (404 ft)
Beam:21.80 m (72 ft)
Draft:6.00 m (20 ft)
Propulsion:Combined diesel and diesel (CODAD) arrangement:
  • 2 × MAN 9L28/32A diesel engines, each producing 3,000 bhp (2,240 kW)
    Total diesel engine output: 6,000 bhp (4,470 kW)
Speed:16 knots (30 km/h) maximum
Range:9,360 nautical miles (17,300 km)
Endurance:30 Days
Boats and landing
craft carried:
  • 2 × LCU or LCM at floodable well docks
  • 2 x RHIB or LCVP at boat davits
Capacity:500 troops and associated vehicles & equipment
Complement:121
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Navigation Radar
  • Surface & Air search radar
  • Electro-Optical Fire Control System
Electronic warfare
and decoys:
  • Electronic Warfare Suite
Armament:
  • 1 × Main gun (between 40mm to 127mm caliber)
  • 2 × Secondary guns (25mm to 30mm caliber) EO/FCS controlled close-in gun systems
  • Unspecified number of 50-caliber Machine guns
Aircraft carried:2 × medium (10-ton) naval helicopters

The so-called Strategic Sealift Vessel (SSV) is an upcoming class of Landing Platform Docks based on the Indonesian Navy's Makassar/Banjarmasin-class being built by Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL (Persero)[1] for the Philippine Navy. Two units are to be constructed, both are still unnamed although the first of the class is temporarily named "SSV-1".

Construction of the first unit already started on January 2015 and is expected to be delivered by July 2016, while the second unit will start a few months after and will be delivered by the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2017.[2] These ships would be the first of its kind to be operated by the Philippine Navy, and are meant to be used for amphibious operations and transport duties in support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but will double as a support platform for Humanitarian and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Search & Rescue (SAR) operations.

Design

The design will be closely based on the Makassar & Banjarmasin classes of Landing Platform Dock used by the Indonesian Navy, which in turn were actually based on a low-cost LPD design from Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering / Daesun Shipyard.

Propulsion

The ships will have a Combined Diesel and Diesel (CODAD) layout and will be using similar engines as those used by their Indonesian counterparts, the MAN 9L28/32A medium speed engines. Combined power from the two engines will produce 6,000 bhp transferred to two controllable pitch propellers.[3]

Armaments

Armaments are subject to supply by the Philippine Navy. Based on the technical specifications, the ships are to be mounted with a main gun with caliber size between 40mm to 127mm. Two secondary RWS-type gun systems are also planned, with a caliber size between 25mm and 30mm. Manually operated 12.7mm 50-caliber machine guns are also to be installed.[3][4]

It is still unconfirmed if the weapons systems will be installed by PT PAL before delivery, or will be installed in Philippine shipyards after delivery.

Flight Support

Originally the ships were designed with a hangar and helicopter landing deck for two medium-sized helicopter, with the specifications emphasizing the US-made Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter as basis.[4] But changes in the Philippine Navy's requirement later on changed the design to have a hangar for two medium helicopters.

References