Sumit Kumar Verma

Navantia-built amphibious assault Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Juan Carlos I (regarded as the flagship of the Spanish Navy) came on a goodwill visit to India, stopping at the Mumbai port from June 3-6. The visit has come close on the heels of a bid for Indian Navy’s requirement of four 20,000 tonne class multirole support vessel Landing Platform Dock (LPD) programme likely to be opening soon.

Navantia-built amphibious assault Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Juan Carlos I

Taking advantage of the visit, Navantia invited a group of journalists to embark the ship in Mumbai in order to acquaint them with capabilities of the Spanish shipbuilder and what they would bring to India in a partnership with an Indian shipyard. Calling it the best in its class, Junior Lieutenant Pablo Fernandez, who has been posted on-board Juan Carlos I for almost two years and was tasked to brief the media, highlighted the versatility of the ship.

Named after the former king of Spain, Juan Carlos I is the biggest ship ever built in the history of the Spanish Navy. Commissioned in September 2010, the carrier is 230.8 metres long, has a displacement of 27,079 tonnes and a range of 9,000 nautical miles (17,000 kilometres) at the speed of 15 knots. Powered by a diesel-electric propulsion system, it can achieve a maximum speed of 21 knots. The carrier is designed to work in a variety of mission profiles, such as amphibious operations, air operations, joint force projection and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.

With a sk