- The U.S. Navy selected Dutch shipbuilder Damen’s LST‑100 design as the basis for its new Medium Landing Ship program.
- NAVSEA said the choice of a mature, non-developmental design will accelerate fielding of littoral mobility for Navy and Marine Corps operations.
The United States Navy has officially selected the LST 100 design from Dutch shipbuilder Damen for its new class of Medium Landing Ships (LSM), a move aimed at accelerating delivery of critical littoral capabilities to naval forces.
The announcement was made on December 5 by Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan and marks a key decision in the development of the LSM program. The ship is intended to support distributed maritime operations by delivering Marines, vehicles, and cargo ashore without relying on established ports or fixed infrastructure.
In a statement released by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the service confirmed: “The U.S. Navy has selected the LST 100 design for the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program, enabling rapid fielding of this urgently needed capability to our Navy and Marine Corps team. By leveraging a mature, non-developmental design and strategic engineering, we are shortening acquisition timelines and ensuring our forces have the littoral mobility they need when they need it.”
Based on Damen’s LST 100 platform, the design is approximately 328 feet (100 meters) long and 52.5 feet (16 meters) wide. Damen says the vessel can achieve speeds up to 14 knots and is equipped to load and unload directly onto a beach using clamshell bow doors, in addition to a stern ramp.
According to Damen, the LST 100 class features a standard crew of 18 and is designed to carry up to 234 embarked troops. It offers nearly 11,000 square feet (1,020 square meters) of roll-on/roll-off cargo space and includes a bow-mounted crane for maneuvering heavy equipment and vehicles from within the hull. The ship is also equipped with a stern flight deck suitable for operations with NH-90 helicopters or similar aircraft.
The ability to operate in shallow, contested coastal environments aligns with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps’ evolving expeditionary strategy, which emphasizes smaller, more agile platforms capable of supporting dispersed operations across the Indo-Pacific and other theaters.
As noted by the Navy, the LSM effort prioritizes fast procurement by utilizing a proven commercial design, avoiding the delays often associated with clean-sheet military shipbuilding programs. This approach is expected to compress the timeline from selection to fielding.
The Medium Landing Ship program is part of broader force design changes under the Department of War’s modernization priorities, particularly the Marine Corps’ shift toward Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) and distributed logistics. The selection of a commercial baseline is also intended to streamline maintenance, training, and sustainment by drawing on existing global supply chains and design maturity.