Indian Navy's Landing ship

Leading online news source 'Defense News' reports that the Indian Navy will commission its third large tank landing ship, INS Shardul, on January 4 2007 at its newest and largest naval base: Karwar, on the west coast of India.

Built by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers for more than $100 million, Shardul has completed harbor acceptance trials.

India's LST-L-class landing ships can carry 11 main battle tanks, 10 Army vehicles and 500 troops for amphibious operations. They also have a flight deck that can handle the U.S.-built Sea King or the home grown Dhruv helicopter. An Indian Navy official said the Shardul will make Karwar the hub for futuristic littoral warfare, which was included in the latest Navy doctrine for the first time.

The Karwar base, which is being built for about $7 billion, will be the biggest naval base in Asia. It will be the home port for the home grown Air Defense Ship aircraft carrier, French-built Scorpene submarines, a home grown nuclear submarine and the former Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, now renamed INS Vikramaditya, which will be commissioned into the Indian Navy in the next two years