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Further Reading

Landing Craft Utility - LCU

Landing craft are used by amphibious forces to transport equipment and troops to the shore. They are capable of transporting tracked or wheeled vehicles and troops from amphibious assault ships to beachheads or piers. The use of landing craft in amphibious assault dates from World War II. The craft are carried aboard amphibious assault ships to the objective area. The mission of the LCU is to land/retrieve personnel and equipment (tanks, artillery, equipment, motor vehicles) during amphibious operations. LCU's are scheduled to land personnel and equipment after the initial assault waves of an amphibious operation.

In September 2011 India cleared a Rs 2,176-crore acquisition of eight LCUs (landing craft utility), capable of "hard beaching" on enemy shores, to boost the country's amphibious warfare and island protection capabilities. This came as the defence ministry was finalizing another project to acquire four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) for "stand-off beaching", for around Rs 16,000 crore. These new plans follow a significant buildup in other amphibious warfare ships, including the induction of the 16,900-tonne INS Jalashwa, formerly the USS Trenton. The Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the LCU project for the eight amphibious assault vessels, to be built by the Kolkata-based defence PSU Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. The first LCU will be delivered in three years. The LCUs are likely to be based at India's first and only regional 'theatre command', the strategically-located Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), formed a decade earlier. The Army has three specifically-earmarked amphibious brigades, with almost 10,000 soldiers, one based in South India, another in West India and the third at ANC.

Specifications
Displacement	Full - tons
Length	m
Beam	m
Draft	m
Speed	kts
Armament	T
Crew	(including troops)

Ships
#	Name	Port	Builder	Order	Comm	Decomm
LCU Mk.4
L	..	..	..	2011	2014
L	..	..	..	2011	2015
L	..	..	..	2011	2015
L	..	..	..	2011	2015
L	..	..	..	2011	2016
L	..	..	..	2011	2016
L	..	..	..	2011	2016
L	..	..	..	2011	2017