Choosing an LHD for a smaller navy

Which LHD design should a small or medium naval power choose to integrate both rotary- and fixed-wing aviation without angering the treasury?

Either Trieste or the Juan Carlos I and Canberra family; the latter is the more economical choice, while Trieste is the more ambitious recent design.

The answer first rejects a universal design because the requirement not to anger the treasury needs a defined budget. It then narrows the realistic choices to Italy's Trieste and the Juan Carlos I-derived family represented by Australia's Canberra class. Trieste is treated as the more striking recent design, while the other family's repeated national variants make it the more economical and established path. The comparison shows why a small or medium navy must balance fixed-wing ambition, helicopter capacity, and affordability rather than simply copy the largest amphibious ship available.