Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PAL has launched a new landing platform dock (LPD) ordered by the Philippine Navy.
Named after a province in the northern Philippines, the future BRP Ilocos Norte will be the Philippine Navy's third Tarlac-class LPD. Her earlier sisters BRP Tarlac and BRP Davao del Sur were delivered by PAL in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Construction is also underway on the future BRP Leyte, the fourth ship in the class.
The future Ilocos Norte is being built as a variant of the Makassar-class ships in service with the Indonesian Navy in both LPD and hospital ship variants.
The 124-metre Ilocos Norte will feature a number of improvements over her earlier sisters such as additional vehicle deck space and a larger side ramp door. The vessel will also have flight deck space for up to two 10-tonne helicopters and two diesel engines that will deliver a speed of 16 knots and a range of 9,000 nautical miles.
Secondary missions will include humanitarian assistance and disaster response and search and rescue.
The LPD will then undergo outfitting and trials in Indonesia before being delivered to the Philippine Navy later this year.