The French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has received the first of four fast amphibious landing craft (EDA-Rs) for the Navy’s Building Projection and Command (BPC).

The 30m-long and 12m-wide landing craft vessel has a payload of 80t and will provide five times the landing capacity of the French Navy’s current landing craft.

The EDA-R, when fully loaded, can cruise at a speed of 18 knots and will be used for landing military vehicles and troops from ships positioned beyond the horizon (55km) and for humanitarian missions.

The French Navy’s Mistral-class Bâtiments de Projection et de Commandement (BPC) amphibious warfare ships will operate the EDA-R.

The navy is scheduled to receive the other three ships by mid-2012.