A model of PT PAL's 163 m multimission support vessel at NAVDEX 2023 in Abu Dhabi. (Janes)
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced it had awarded the Indonesian shipyard PT PAL an AED1.5 billion (USD408.32 million) contract to supply a “multimission vessel” during the IDEX 2023 show being held in Abu Dhabi from 20 to 24 February.
PT PAL confirmed to Janes that the contract was for a 163 m multimission support vessel, which is a landing platform dock (LPD). The plan is to start construction in Indonesia in 2024 with the completed vessel delivered to the UAE Navy five to six years later.
The contract was announced without a value in July 2022 as part of a comprehensive economic partnership agreement between Indonesia and the UAE, although sources told Janes at the time that it had not been finalised.
PT PAL said that it could not comment on the systems and armament that will be fitted to the ship, but Emirati companies will be involved and it will supervise the process.
A second AED20 million contract was awarded to Marakeb Technologies to develop the Golden Unit for the new ship. Marakeb is an Emirati company that specialises in autonomous systems. It displayed a mock-up of an unmanned ground vehicle control station in the back of a Caiman armoured vehicle that it said has been delivered to the UAE Armed Forces.
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