BMT and Japan Marine United (JMU) have been awarded a contract by Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) to design and build the next-generation High-Speed Landing Craft for the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF), according to a press release.
The contract will see BMT’s Caimen Japan design integrated into the Next-Generation High-Speed Landing Craft Programme, with BMT providing the design and JMU responsible for production and construction at its facilities in Japan.
The agreement marks a significant UK-Japan defence partnership, combining BMT’s maritime engineering expertise with JMU’s experience in high-performance defence platforms.
The new landing craft, measuring approximately 30 metres in length, is designed to deliver superior speed, seakeeping, and beaching capabilities. The tri-bow hull form, developed through extensive research on BMT’s Caimen Landing Craft series, allows for speeds of over 20 knots, ensuring rapid deployment in critical situations.
Additionally, the landing craft offers enhanced troop and vehicle transport capacity, significantly improving operational flexibility and efficiency. According to the release, this versatility makes it a valuable asset for the Japan Self Defense Force, enabling personnel and equipment to be transported swiftly and securely in diverse maritime conditions.
The contract reflects growing defence cooperation between the UK and Japan, with industry leaders from both nations highlighting the importance of innovation and partnership in advancing military capabilities.
Akinori Takeno, Director and Senior Managing Officer at JMU, emphasised the strategic significance of the collaboration, stating:
“We are pleased to announce the strategic partnership with BMT, which will see our company meet the procurement programmes of the Japan Ministry of Defense. By combining BMT’s innovative design concepts with our exceptional technologies and facilities, we hope to deliver landing crafts that exceed expectations.”
BMT Chief Executive Sarah Kenny described the contract as a key milestone, saying:
“BMT is immensely proud to have been selected by ATLA and JMU as design partner for this highly strategic project. The collaboration between our teams in the UK and Japan has been exemplary from the very beginning of our relationship.”
Meanwhile, BMT’s Head of Sales, Commercial Maritime, Martin Bissuel, highlighted the strategic value of the Caimen® Japan landing craft, noting:
“The next-generation High-Speed Landing Craft stands out as a pivotal investment for the Japan Self Defense Force. Caimen® Japan offers an advanced, reliable, and highly functional platform that enhances their maritime operational capabilities significantly.”
LCU replacement for MRSS?
Is that still going to be a thing we do?
BMT has to be one of the best British defence companies. We might not build many ships anymore but we sure can design them.
That’s the strength of British Industry our design and innovation capabilities are second to none be it in this sort of design, electric motors, robotics, specialist engineering, Ai, cube satellites, even electric space manouvering systems and a little more long term and speculatively bleeding edge work on fusion space propulsion but exploiting fission reactors as seen promoted at Space Comm recently. Few people understand just how good and influential we are at so many technologies that fly under the radar. Just a pity we are so bad at scaling them up and/or allowing these specialisations simply fall into the hands of others.
But in this particular case there are great opportunities to gain greater mass and use our design skills as leverage to gain the sort of international cooperations and opportunities we urgently need to grow and develop defence and industrial partnerships to ensure our future security. BMT is doing a wonderful job here and clearly are expert in pushing innovation but within practical bounds that don’t dissolve along the way into the more fanciful realms of unachievable financial or technological Disneyland. Britain and Japan have real complimentary skills that can benefit both somewhat stagnant economies.
So whilst Japan, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Brazil, US and China plus others invest in and modernise their amphibious capabilities island nation U.K. does the opposite. Some might say amphibious warfare has been made virtually obsolete along with carriers by modern technology but then propose the use of aircraft flying from fixed airfields along with merchant shipping for vehicle and equipment transportation for the army to offload at fixed port installations that would be high value targets in any peer on peer conflict.
These vessels would be perfect for the RM and the British Army as replacements for the LCU Mark 10 and we could have four each in our obsolete? and now decommissioned LPDs.
Meanwhile a war rages in Europe and we will in 2027 increase our defence spending to 2.5%. We are still not getting serious and unless the imminent SDR really is a defence review and not a HMT review things are not going change in the future.
I believe I read somewhere, might have been on this site, that the SDR committee has been told to go back and revise their interim findings based on the funding required being too high.
Agreed.
Talk, and more talk.
It’s sad.
I’ve no faith in HMG whatsoever no matter how much money Starmer grandstands is coming.
Until Trump forced them, they were doing NOTHING.
Is it a co-incidence that the BMT Caiman design looks like a baby Point Class?
I’m really surprised that we’re still seeing Landing Craft designs which don’t incorporate self defence systems like RWS. The threat from unmanned systems both aerial and surface is only going to increase particularly in lhe littoral context.
Totally agree. The Ukrainians were using ATGMs against the Ropucha and other landing craft as well as any Russian vessel approaching their coast line following the invasion in 2022. With some notable successes at Mariupol and Berdiansk. Where if I remember correctly a Ropucha was hit in dock by a short range ballistic missile when it was unloading stores. Landing craft are especially vulnerable, as they’re generally quite slow, even the BMT Caimen 60 and 90 have a top speed of around 35 to 40knots depending on what they’re carrying. With modern ATGMs that come with thermal sights etc, night time landings are no longer adequate cover or protection for landings.
An active protection system as used on armoured vehicles, is an obvious choice to protect these types of vessels from ATGMs and other infantry type heavy support weapons, such as RPGs. I do hope that the MRSS has more thought in how the ship can operate in the littorals with both a significantly more effective defensive armament over the current two Phalanx. But also includes some offensive punch to it can support raiding parts and landing craft if the area is contested.
British amphibious doctrine was and is to avoid heavily contested landings for the very reasons you suggest. For any significant amphibious landing air superiority is essential and has been since ww2 so although the technology has evolved the risk is largely the same.
The MRSS should be built to warship standards and equipped as such but i very much doubt it will be due to cost.
The answer to an extent is to have landing craft that are fast, seaworthy and long ranged vessels. That is not a simple thing to achieve in a small craft that sometimes might need to carry heavy armoured vehicles.