Indian Navy Multi-Role Support Vessel programme

In 2011, India's Ministry of Defense finalized a project for the procurement of four Amphibious Warship (also referred to as "Multi-Role Support Vessel") in order to upgrade the nation's disaster response capabilities along with boosting amphibious warfare and island protection capabilities. Lately, as a precautionary measure against People's Republic of China's naval presence in the Indian ocean, acquiring amphibious warfare ships and aircraft carriers has become a top priority for Indian Navy. Consequently, Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is being developed into a major Amphibious Warfare Hub for Indian Navy and it is considered crucial to counter China's strategic moves in the Indian Ocean as well as ensure security of these sea lanes.

As of 2011, reports pointed to the fact that India is looking for up to 4 LHD type aviation & amphibious ships, with most designs to come from foreign firms.

As of November 2013 The Defence Ministry has issued a tender for building warships which can carry helicopters. The tender was issued as part of efforts by the government to build the capabilities of the indigenous industry.

Minimum Criteria
Although moderately flexible, the basic criteria are:
 * Size: Has to be comparable to or bigger than INS Jalashwa.
 * Aviation facilities: landing spots for 5-6 helicopters and an aviation deck to carry 10 Heavy Helicopters.
 * Storage Space: Enough room for one battalion of 1,000 fully armed soldiers or a squadron of tanks.
 * Weapons carrying capability: Must be able to carry heavy weapon systems and infantry combat vehicles.
 * Range: Must be capable of covering large distances [10000 km or more].
 * Special Features: Specialized areas from hospital facilities to naval command centers.

Mistral LHD (France)
DCNS/Armaris's contender is the Mistral Class. The ships in this class are generally able to carry around 900 armed troops and 16 heavy or 35 light helicopters. These ships are also about to be exported to India’s another ally and weapons supplier, Russia. Should India be willing to use Russian weapons on these ships, it may allow for common modifications. France’s DCNS is currently India’s shipbuilding partner for its new Scorpene Class diesel electric fast attack submarines. The Mistral meets every criteria for the MRSV project.

Multifunctional Ship LHD (Italy)
Indian Navy recently received the first Deepak class fleet tanker by Italy’s Fincantieri which is currently working with India to build the Vikrant class aircraft carrier. Although Fincantieri has a history of naval industrial relations with India, it is yet to fully develop a ship that fits the criteria for Multi-Role Support Vessel. However, according to their website, Fincantieri is fully capable of manufacturing a vessel which they list as a 20,000 tonne "Multifunctional ship". This ship is purported to be suitable for the "MRSV" title.

Juan Carlos I Class (Spain)
Navantia built the Juan Carlos I LHD for the Spanish Navy, and is building two similar ships for the Australian Navy. It is also a strong contender for the title of "Multi-Role Support Vessel" as it meets each criterion perfectly. With its ski jump for STOVL operations, it is conceptually similar to a Wasp Class LHD. Nonetheless, if India would be willing to compromise with a smaller vessel or LPD, then this would expand Navantia's scope for including Galicia Class LPD which was co-developed with Royal Schelde.

DOKDO Class Amphibious Warfare Vessel
The Dokdo class vessel is from Hanjin Heavy Industries, South Korea. Dokdo (LPH 6111) is presently the lead ship of the "LPX" class of amphibious warships of the Republic of Korea Navy. The DOKDO class is generally listed as "Landing Platform Helicopter" or LPH but it has an extended deck that can launch boats and amphibious vehicles, just like the Mistral class LHD and Strategic Projection Ships.

Unconfirmed/Speculated Contenders
There are some unconfirmed reports that state that the following LHDS could also be enlisted as contenders in the near future.

BAE Systems (UK)
India is BAE Systems' newest home market. The company is committed to major investments in India and technology transfer with a goal to become a key player in the Indian defense sector. It is reported that they are weighing their options for participating in this competition. Although it doesn't meet some requirements, they are likely to offer the Ocean Class LPH in this competition.

Raytheon (USA)
There are some speculations, though not confirmed, that Raytheon may seek to partake in the competition by offering the sale of San Antonio class LPD designs to India.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (Germany)
There are reports claiming that ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems maybe willing to offer MHD-150.

Schelde Naval Shipbuilding
The jointly developed Rotterdam/Galicia class LPDs by the Schelde Naval Shipbuilding of the Netherlands and Navantia of Spain, are called the Enforcer class for export.

Future Manufacturer
Reportedly, the winning design will be built by Hindustan Shipyard (HSL) as well as private shipyards, in collaboration with a foreign manufacturer.