What would an ideal British amphibious replacement program look like?
Short answerFour well-escorted, aviation-capable LHDs matched by enough Royal Marines, aircraft, landing craft, and reserve depth to deploy a brigade.
NotesThe proposed force has four LHDs able to operate F-35Bs, drones, and helicopters. Each would carry four LCUs, four LCVPs, and at least eight new combat boats, alongside a reinforced Royal Marines commando. The estimate is roughly 1,200 embarked forces personnel per ship. Enough escorts would be needed to protect the amphibious ships and the two aircraft carriers, with enough aircraft to sustain their air groups when required. The Royal Marines would grow to four regular and two reserve commandos with supporting forces. In this proposal, two LHDs provide a half-brigade deployment, three a brigade, and four a reinforced brigade. Reserve commandos provide availability when regular units are already committed ashore, as happened in Afghanistan.