CNIM teams up with MAURIC for the design and delivery of 14 EDA-S to the French Navy

CNIM, acting as prime contractor, teamed up with SOCARENAM, CNN MCO and MAURIC, to win the tender competition for the design and the construction of 14 EDA-S (Engins de Débarquement Amphibie – Standards) for the French Navy. These Amphibious Standard Landing Crafts will be based on the CNIM’s LCA design and will replace the previous generation of Landing Crafts of French Navy, the CTM.
The new fleet of EDA-S for the French Navy to replace CTM Vessels
The French Ministry of Defence (DGA) launched the public tender in order to replace its fleet of CTM built in the 80’s. 6 EDA-S will be in construction since the end of the summer 2019 in SOCARENAM shipyard in St Malo (France), and 8 more units are planned. The actual aim is to allocate 8 EDA-S in Toulon to be deployed from Mistral-Class LHDs, and 6 others in overseas territories directly from French navy bases (Guyana, Mayotte, Martinique, New Caledonia and Djibouti) restoring an amphibious transport capability. The 14 EDA-S are scheduled to be delivered over a ten year period.
EDA-S: High payload capacity landing craft with optimized speed and manoeuvrability
This new fleet of EDA-S will be based on the CNIM LCA design (on the pictures) to operate in extremely shallow waters, and to carry troops, vehicles and military equipment with a nominal payload capacity of 65 tonnes and a maximum payload capacity of 80 tonnes. EDA-S design will be longer than the previous CTM (28.5m instead of 24m), faster (11kts instead of 8kts full load), and with a better manoeuvrability thanks to an optimized hull form and propulsion configuration (two ducted propellers and one pump-jet at bow). The maximum speed will be 13.5kts lightship and their autonomy is up to 350nm at 11kts.
MAURIC will provide its expertise in light but robust aluminium structure design and hydrodynamics and hull form know-how.
The Quartet CNIM-SOCARENAM-MAURIC-CNN MCO proved again its capability to offer innovative and efficient tailor-made solution for the French Navy after the successful delivery of EDA-R designs for which the consortium already teamed up: CNIM as main contractor, SOCARENAM as shipbuilder, MAURIC for the naval architecture and technical studies and CNN MCO for the initial maintenance.
High carrying capacity and reconfiguration, assets for a complete "toolbox"
With a length of 12.3m and an overall width of 4.2m, the INSPECTOR 125 can carry up to 3 tons of payload. In the standard version it is equipped with two hydrojets allowing a top speed of over 25kts at full load displacement, but is also offered with two shaft lines and propellers to meet specific towing requirements. Its large rear deck, its mast and underwater pole allow carrying many payloads and sensors specific to the missions of surveillance, oceanographic survey or mine counter measures.
INSPECTOR 125 is able to:
- Launch and recover in rough seas:
- A towed sonar such as the ECA GROUP T18-M sonar.
- A medium-sized AUV such as the A18-M AUV.
- Identification and / or neutralization ROVs such as the SEASCAN Identification ROV and the K-STER C neutralization ROV. It can carry on its main deck up to 2 SEASCAN and 6 K-STER simultaneously.
- Tow a mine-sweeping system composed of several electromagnetic and acoustic modules in particularly rough sea conditions.
- Integrate on board or on its hull additional sensors useful for oceanographic monitoring missions and other effectors when operating in "manned" mode with personnel on board.
This high payload capacity makes the INSPECTOR 125 a comprehensive and modular tool. It can be operated and deployed from a ship or the shore and is also air-transportable. ECA GROUP also offers LARS (Launch And Recovery Systems) solutions for the deployment and recovery of INSPECTOR 125 from a 50m+ mothership such as OCTOPODA vessels also developed by MAURIC. Indeed, USV INSPECTOR 125 is a part of the OCTOPODA 500 mothership toolbox.