Shipbuilder Naikai Zosen has launched the Japan Self-Defense Force – Maritime Transport Group’s first Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessel in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture.
The “Nihonbare” is part of Tokyo’s ongoing effort to establish a new military logistics fleet that will employ teams from the joint force at the Kure Naval Base in Hiroshima next year.
Led by Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency, the ceremony involved the vessel’s naming and official first contact with water as part of its ongoing development.
Once completed, the LCU and its sister ships will be operated by more than 100 personnel in Kure.
１０月２９日、内海造船株式会社瀬戸田工場において、輸送艦（ＬＣＵ）「にほんばれ」の命名式・進水式が行われ、鬼木防衛副大臣が出席しました。輸送艦の名称は、半島の名、太陽に関する天象・気象の名を付与することが標準とされており、防衛大臣が命名します。 pic.twitter.com/gB15siIE7w
— 防衛装備庁 (@atla_kouhou_jp) October 30, 2024
The Nihonbare LCU
The 4.1-billion yen ($26.9-million) LCU will measure 80 meters (262 feet) long with a capacity for up to 30 people, according to Naval News.
It will have “several hundred tons” of payload capability and space for 12 tactical vehicles or 6-meter (20-foot) standard containers.
The Nihonabre will have a top speed of 15 knots (28 kilometers/17 miles per hour).
“LCUs are employed to transport troops and supplies to ports in shallow islands,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense stated.
“The acquisition of LCU will enable prompt and reliable transportation in the southwestern islands etc. dotted with large and small islands, and will contribute to strengthening the island defense system.”
More Vessels Until 2028
The Nihonbare’s arrival in 2025 will be followed by nine more Maritime Transport Group ships until 2028.
The fleet will include three LCU platforms based on the Nihonbare’s hull, four maneuver support vessels, and two medium-sized transport vessels.
The first 120-meter (394-foot) medium-sized vessel under this initiative will be launched later in November and delivered next year.
