San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock

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The San Antonio class is a class of amphibious transport docks, also called a "landing platform, dock" (LPD), used by the United States Navy. These warships replace the Template:Sclass LPDs (including Cleveland and Trenton sub-classes), as well as the Template:Sclass tank landing ships, the Template:Sclass dock landing ships, and the Template:Sclass amphibious cargo ships that have already been retired.<ref name= fact/>

Twelve ships of the San Antonio class were originally proposed, their original target price was US$890 million;<ref name=SAR2011>Template:Cite web</ref> as built, their average cost is $1.6 billion.<ref name=FY13Budget /> Defense Authorization for Fiscal Year 2015 included partial funding for the twelfth San Antonio-class ship. Template:As of eleven warships of this class were in service with the U.S. Navy, with an additional three ships under construction.<ref name=fact/> The Navy decided in 2018 to produce a second flight of 13 planned LPD Flight II ships, for a total of 26 in the LPD 17 class; LPD 30, Harrisburg, is the first Flight II ship.<ref name=fact/>

Design

The San Antonio class was designed to provide the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps with modern, sea-based platforms that are networked, survivable, and built to operate with 21st century transformational platforms, such as the MV-22 Osprey, the (since canceled) Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), air-cushioned landing craft (LCACs), and future means by which Marines are delivered ashore.<ref name= fact/> The ship is more than 45 percent larger than the Austin class, displacing more than 25,000 tons at full load. It carries fewer troops, but has twice as much space for vehicles, landing craft, and aircraft.<ref name=GlobalSecurity>Template:Cite web</ref> The ships are also suited to act as recovery ships for spacecraft, with a floodable well deck at the back of the vessel into which a capsule can float; Template:USS was the recovery ship for the Orion capsule of the Artemis 1 uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission on 11 December 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The project embraced a "Design for Ownership" philosophy; a concurrent engineering approach that injects operator, maintainer, and trainer input into the design development process. The goal was to ensure that operational realities are considered throughout the total ship design, integration, construction, test and life cycle support of the new ships and their systems.<ref name=FAS-NSWCDD>Template:Cite web</ref> This process was intended to improve combat readiness, enhance quality of life, and reduce Total Ownership Costs, and resulted in numerous changes during the project.<ref name=FAS-NAVSEA>Template:Cite web</ref>

The San Antonio class has significant survivability features and computer technology. In addition to Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) protection from air threats, the class was designed to minimize radar signature. Techniques that reduce radar cross-section (RCS) make the ships more difficult to locate and target.<ref name= FAS-NAVSEA/> Enhanced survivability features include improved nuclear blast and fragmentation protection and a shock-hardened structure.<ref name=naval-technology>Template:Cite web</ref> The fiber-optic shipboard-wide area network (SWAN) connects onboard-integrated systems. The network will allow "plug in and fight" configuration, updating and replacing hardware more easily when newer technology becomes available. Moreover, the class has extensive communications, command, control, and intelligence systems to support current and projected expeditionary warfare missions of the 21st century.<ref name= FAS-NAVSEA/>

The class is fitted with the integrated Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS). The system fuses the radars and other sensors and controls the weapons systems for an automated fast reaction capability against air threats.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensors (AEM/S) System mast, a 93-foot-high octagonal structure 35 feet in diameter, is constructed of a multi-layer frequency-selective composite material. It is designed to permit the ship's own sensor frequencies with very low loss while reflecting other frequencies. The tapered octagonal shape of the AEM/S is designed to reduce the radar cross section, and enclosing the antennas provides improved performance and greatly reduces maintenance costs.<ref name=FAS-LPD-17>Template:Cite web</ref> The composite mast was replaced by a conventional mast starting from USS Fort Lauderdale as a transition to the LX(R)-class amphibious warfare ship design.<ref name="LPD-28 Keel">Template:Cite press release</ref>

The San Antonio-class also incorporates the latest quality of life standards for the embarked Marines and sailors, including sit-up berths, a ship services mall, a learning resource center, and a fitness center. Medical facilities include two operating rooms and 124 beds. Additionally, they are the first USN ships designed to accommodate sailors and Marines of both sexes as part of the crew and embarked troops.<ref name=GlobalSecurity/>

By mid-2016, the Navy and Marine Corps were studying installing a vertical launch system (VLS) into San Antonio-class ships so they could field larger offensive missiles. The original ship concept included two 8-cell Mk 41 VLS in the bow, which is being reexamined to add Tomahawk cruise missiles to support Marines ashore with little modification to the combat system.<ref>Navy, Marine Corps Considering Adding Vertical Launch System to San Antonio Amphibs Template:Webarchive - News.USNI.org, 13 October 2016</ref>

History

Following the extended problems and incidents experienced by Template:USS, the U.S. Department of Defense's Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E), stated in 2010 that the ships are "capable of operating 'in a benign environment', but not effective, suitable and not survivable in a combat situation".<ref>Capaccio, Tony Northrop Navy Ships `Not Survivable' in Combat, Official Says Template:Webarchive Bloomberg, 28 October 2010</ref> The DOT&E found in 2011 that the first ship of the class, USS San Antonio, had several deficiencies which rendered it "not operationally effective, suitable, or survivable in a hostile environment".<ref>"LPD-17 San Antonio Class Amphibious Transport Dock" Template:Webarchive. DOT&E</ref> In April 2015, the USN proposed adding a 12th ship to the class,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which will be built at Ingalls in exchange for a destroyer to be named later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 4 December 2015, the 12th ship was ordered.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Derivatives

Template:See also U.S. senator Kay Hagan has asked if the LPD-17 construction line should be extended to a 12th ship as a bridge to building the LX(R) (formerly LSD(X)) on the same hull, but the USN has indicated that the requirements of the LX(R) have not yet been settled and that the LPD-17 hull might be too large for such a mission.<ref>O'Rourke, Ronald. "Navy LPD-17 Amphibious Ship Procurement: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress." Template:Webarchive Congressional Research Service, 16 March 2011.</ref> However, Commandant James F. Amos had also endorsed dropping LSD in favor of continued LPD production.<ref>"Navy League Conference 2013 speeches on the future of the maritime services."</ref>

In October 2014, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus signed an internal memo recommending that the LX(R) warship be based on the existing San Antonio-class design. The LPD-17 design was selected over a foreign variant, and an entirely new design to meet required capability, capacity, and cost parameters. Official selection of basing the LX(R) off the LPD-17 design still has to come with Milestone A approval.<ref>Memo: Hull Based on San Antonio Design is Navy’s Preferred Option for Next Generation Amphib Template:Webarchive - USNI.org, 20 October 2014.</ref> The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 included partial funding for a twelfth San Antonio-class ship (LPD-28).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In early 2014, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) displayed its Flight IIA version of the LPD-17 hull for the Navy's LX(R) amphibious ship. The design is further modified by removing some of the higher-end capabilities of the San Antonio class to create an "amphibious truck" to replace the Template:Sclass and Template:Sclass landing ship docks. The Flight IIA has improved command and control (C2) features over the LSDs, half the medical spaces of the LPD-17, a smaller hangar, no composite masts, two unspecified main propulsion diesel engines (MPDE), two spots for LCACs or one LCU, a reduced troop capacity (500), and a crew of about 400 sailors.<ref>"What the Navy’s Next Generation Amphibious Ship Could Look Like" Template:Webarchive News.USNI.org, 21 November 2014</ref> In January 2015, the Navy and Marine Corps decided to go with the modified LPD-17 hull for the LX(R) program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chief of Naval Operations Greenert considered using some of the extra space in the San Antonio class to mount modular equipment in the same fashion as the littoral combat ships.<ref>Freedberg, Sydney J. Jr. "Modular 'Trucks' Will Rule The Waves: CNO." Template:Webarchive Aol Defense. 18 April 2012.</ref> As part of their bid to offer "Flight II" LPD-17s for the dock landing ship replacement contract, HII has suggested fitting out the ships to carry the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.<ref>"HII Pitching BMD Role For LPD-17 Hull."</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although there is no formal requirement for the BMD variant, HII report unofficial support for it within the U.S. Navy, such that it will be modeled in wargame scenarios in 2016 and 2017. It could accommodate up to 288 Mk41 VLS missile tubes and a radar with 1000 times the sensitivity of the SPY-1D radar of the Burke destroyers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Flight II

Template:Main On 2 August 2018, the U.S. Navy and Huntington Ingalls signed a contract for long lead items for LPD-30, the first of the 13-ship more affordable Flight II class. The contract was for US$165.5M. The cost goal is US$1.64B for the first ship and $1.4B for subsequent ships. LPD-30 will be fitted with a Raytheon AN/SPY-6 Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar, an upgrade over the AN/SPS-48 currently in LPD-17s.<ref name="2018-08-03_DN">"US Navy awards major contract to Huntington Ingalls for its newest class of amphibious vessels", David B. Larter, Defense News, 2018-08-03</ref> Huntington Ingalls will build the new flight exclusively.<ref name="NN">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="2018-08-03_DN" /> On 26 March 2019, Huntington Ingalls announced the award of a US$1.47 billion, fixed-price incentive contract for LPD 30 (14th ship and first of Flight II). On 10 October 2019, the name of the ship was announced as Template:USS for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the state's capital.<ref name="2019-10-10_NT">The Navy named its next warship after this city, Navy Times, 2019-10-10</ref> On 3 April 2020, Huntington Ingalls announced that it was awarded a $1.5 billion contract modification for the construction of Template:USS, named for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.<ref name="LPD-31 Award">Template:Cite press release</ref>

The Flight II ships are intended to provide the mission currently provided by the Whidbey Island-class dock landing ships and incorporate more than 200 changes over the Flight I ships. The mission provided by Flight II ships will include airport, seaport, and hospital operations and incorporate modifications to the ships’ well decks. <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:As of, the US Navy is proposing to temporarily halt acquiring additional San Antonio-class ships beyond LPD-32. This move would be part of a "strategic pause," according to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, that would allow the force to better examine what they need to get out of the ships and how many they ultimately need. Under this plan, LPD-32 would be purchased in the 2022–2023 fiscal year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2024, Congress authorized the Navy to begin a multi-year procurement of three ships.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> The multi-year procurement deal, spanning FY25 to FY29, will save an estimated $901M compared to individual ship buys. These three ships are excluded from this page's "on order" counts until formally executed.

Ships of the class

Name	Hull number	Builder	Fiscal Year Awarded	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Home port	Status
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Template:USS	LPD-17	Avondale		9 December 2000	12 July 2003	14 January 2006	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:USS	LPD-18	Avondale		14 October 2002	11 December 2004	10 March 2007	Sasebo, Nagasaki	Active
Template:USS	LPD-19	Ingalls		25 February 2003	19 November 2004	15 December 2007	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:USS	LPD-20	Avondale		11 August 2003	11 August 2006	24 January 2009	San Diego, California	Active
Template:USS	LPD-21	Avondale		10 September 2004	19 December 2007	7 November 2009	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:USS	LPD-22	Ingalls		23 May 2007	7 May 2010	19 May 2012	Sasebo, Nagasaki	Active
Template:USS	LPD-23	Avondale		24 September 2007	12 February 2011	4 May 2013	San Diego, California	Active
Template:USS	LPD-24	Ingalls		26 May 2008	23 November 2010	8 February 2013	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:USS	LPD-25	Avondale		11 December 2009	14 April 2012	1 March 2014	San Diego, California	Active<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:USS	LPD-26	Ingalls		6 February 2012	30 October 2014<ref name="NVR LPD26">Template:Cite web</ref>	8 October 2016	San Diego, California	Active<ref name="NR-353-16 ">Template:Cite press release</ref>
Template:USS	LPD-27	Ingalls		2 August 2013	13 February 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	14 December 2017<ref name=NVR_LPD27>Template:Cite web</ref>	San Diego, California	Active
Template:Center
Template:USS	LPD-28	Ingalls		13 October 2017	28 March 2020	30 July 2022<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:USS	LPD-29	Ingalls		12 April 2019	5 January 2022	7 September 2024	Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Template:Center
Template:USS	LPD-30	Ingalls		28 January 2022<ref name="LPD-30 keel">Template:Cite press release</ref>	5 October 2024			Launched<ref name="NVR LPD30">Template:Cite web</ref>
Template:USS	LPD-31	Ingalls		2 June 2023				Under construction <ref name="LPD-31 Award" /><ref>Archived at Ghostarchive Template:Cbignore and the Wayback Machine Template:Cbignore: Template:Cite web Template:Cbignore</ref>
Template:USS	LPD-32	Ingalls		3 January 2025				Under construction<ref name="LPD-32 award">Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="LPD-33">Template:Cite news</ref>
Template:USS	LPD-33	Ingalls	FY25 (planned)					Authorized<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref>
TBD	LPD-34	Ingalls	FY27 (planned)					Authorized<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />
TBD	LPD-35	Ingalls	FY29 (planned)					Authorized<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Gallery

Template:USS during construction at Avondale, 2002
Port-bow view of Template:USS.
Port-quarter view of Template:USS.
Steel from the World Trade Center is poured for construction of Template:USS
Elevation of LPD-17-class ship.
Cutaway illustration of the U.S. Navy's San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship (LPD).