The Philippine Navy’s lead Tarlac-class landing platform dock vessel has arrived in Indonesia for sustainment and repair works.
The BRP Tarlac (LD-601) is now at the state-owned PT PAL Indonesia facility in Surabaya, where it will receive necessary services to “ensure combat readiness and operational sustainability.”
Manila commissioned the ship in 2016 as part of the navy’s Sealift Amphibious Force, which is responsible for amphibious systems and personnel transport, search and rescue, disaster response, and other logistics tasks for the Philippine Armed Forces.
Construction of the Tarlac vessel began in 2015, with its hull based on the Indonesian Navy’s Makassar-class landing platform dock.
“We are pleased to welcome the return of BRP Tarlac 601 to PT PAL Indonesia,” PT PAL Production Director Diana Rosa stated.
“We are also honored to have received continuous trust from the Philippine Navy in modernizing its fleet for a long time. The cooperation between the two countries continues to this day and is getting stronger.”
The Tarlac-Class System
The Philippines’ Tarlac-class vessel measures 123 meters (404 feet) in length and has a beam of 22 meters (72 feet).
It can carry up to 120 personnel and has space for vehicles, landing craft boats, rigid-hull boats, a helicopter the size of an AgustaWestland AW109 lightweight helicopter, or about 300 more amphibious troops.
The ship is equipped with a 76-millimeter main gun, 25-millimeter secondary guns, and 12.7-millimeter machine guns.
It sails at 16 knots (30 kilometers/18 miles per hour) with a diesel generator and diesel engines with over 3,900 horsepower each.
The system has a range of approximately 9,300 nautical miles (17,224 kilometers/10,702 miles) and an endurance of 30 days.
