The Jason-class tank landing ship ( Hellenic: ''αρματαγωγό κλάσσης Ιάσων'', literally ''tank-carrier of class Jason'') is a class of

tank landing ship A Landing Ship, Tank (LST) is a ship first developed during World War II (1939–1945) to support amphibious operations by carrying tanks, vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto a low-slope beach with no docks or piers. The shallow d ...

s (LSTs) designed and built in Greece through a cooperation of the

Elefsis Shipyards Elefsis Shipyards is a Greek shipbuilding company, also involved in other industrial constructions. Founded in 1968, it has constructed many types of ships, including the largest bulk carriers built in Greece, as well as military ships. The latte ...

with the

National Technical University of Athens The National (Metsovian) Technical University of Athens (NTUA; , ''National Metsovian Polytechnic''), sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, a university in Athens, Greece. It is named in honor of its benefactors Nikolaos Stournaris, Eleni Tosi ...

and the

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...

, which ordered the ships in 1986. Along with the , they are the primary

amphibious warfare Amphibious warfare is a type of offensive military operation that today uses naval ships to project ground and air power onto a hostile or potentially hostile shore at a designated landing beach. Through history the operations were conduc ...

ships of the

. The first was laid down on 18 April 1987, second in September 1987, third in May 1988, fourth in April 1989 and fifth in November 1989. Completion of all five and in particular the last three was severely delayed by the shipyard's financial problems, which was privatised in October 1997. Greece tried to start building a sixth ship in 2000 but cancelled it before construction began. The ships are capable of transporting 350 infantry troops, but they can transport up to 1,200 infantry for short distances, and they can also carry up to 22

main battle tank A main battle tank (MBT), also known as a battle tank or universal tank or simply tank,Ogorkiewicz 2018 p222 is a tank that fills the role of armour-protected direct fire and maneuver in many modern armies. Cold War-era development of more po ...

s (MBTs) or a variety of other equipment such as

armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...

s (APCs),

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

MLRS A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a vol ...

launchers, trucks, etc. The Hellenic Navy used the Jason-class ships to replace older American landing ships from the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

era. The Hellenic Navy preferred to not buy new ships from other nations in order to acquire experience in the design and construction of warships entirely in Greece. Although the new ships replaced Second World War-era LSTs, the Hellenic Navy did not equip the Jason-class ships with marine fighting vehicles (such as BMP-3F) and therefore Greek marines have to use tactical landing methods similar to those of the Second World War era. Although, Greece purchased 76 AAV-7A1 RAMS from EDA of USMC in 2022. Each landing ship can carry up to 15 AAV-7 and 300 Marines. The ships also use two types of Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel (LCVPs): the type 36 and the type 36F (with ''F'' meaning ''Fast'').

Ships

Armament and sensors

Each ship of the class is armed with one Oto Melara 76 mm/62 Mod 9 compact naval gun, two Breda 40 mm/70 guns and two smaller

Rheinmetall Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...

20 mm guns in twin mounts. A serious drawback of the ships is the lack of a modern

CIWS A close-in weapon system (CIWS ) is a point-defense weapon system for detecting and destroying short-range incoming missiles and enemy aircraft which have penetrated the outer defenses, typically mounted on a naval ship. Nearly all classes of ...

system. The main radar of the ships is the

Thomson-CSF Thomson-CSF was a French company that specialized in the development and manufacture of electronics with a heavy focus upon the aerospace and defence sectors of the market. Thomson-CSF was formed in 1968 following the merger of Thomson-Hous ...

TRS-3030 Triton G which is a G-band, 2D Surface-to-Air & Surface-to-Surface Radar. The ships have installed the Thomson-CSF Vega II command and control system which includes the Pollux TRS3220 fast-scanning radar as a fire control radar system.

References

External links

Jason class landing ship, Hellenic Navy official website
{{Ship classes of the Hellenic Navy Jason class LST Tank landing ships