Landing helicopter dock
A landing helicopter dock (LHD) is a multipurpose amphibious assault ship which is capable of operating helicopters and has a well deck. The United States Navy (USN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) use the term as a hull classification symbol.
LHD vessels are built with a full flight deck similar in appearance to an aircraft carrier to operate utility and attack helicopters. Some can also operate tilt rotor aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey and VSTOL aircraft such as the AV-8 Harrier and the F-35B Lightning II. Examples of this kind of ship include the USN's Wasp class, French Navy's Mistral class and ships of the Spanish Navy's Juan Carlos I class including those designs based on the class, such as the Royal Australian Navy's Canberra class. Other nations also use the designation for their vessels, such as the Republic of Korea Navy for its Dokdo class.
The Landing Helicopter Assault (LHA) USN warship classes both precede and follow the ships classed LHD. Most LHAs also have well decks of a comparable size to LHDs, with the exception of the first two America-class ships (LHA-6 and LHA-7) which lack the well deck entirely, taking the space for larger aviation facilities. However, LHA-8 will feature a well deck, returning the terms to their more interchangeable state.