Video: Australian Landing Craft Program Progresses

By means of the preliminary part of this system, Austal will construct 18 Touchdown Craft Medium (LC-M) for the Australian Military at its facility in Henderson, Western Australia. 

The vessels – which can equip three new littoral elevate teams that will probably be stood up in Northern Australia – will change the Military’s fleet of Touchdown Craft Mechanised Mark 8 (LCM8). 

Austal and Birdon had been initially chosen to construct the vessels in November 2023, nonetheless, the undertaking has only now been formally authorised. In whole, the preliminary part is predicted to value barely greater than $2 billion AUD (~$1.3 billion USD) and can help greater than 1,100 jobs in Henderson. 

“We’ve authorised the acquisition of 18 touchdown craft medium. The entire undertaking price is barely north of $2 billion,” mentioned Pat Conroy, Australia’s Minister for Defence Trade. 

“The contract with Austal is clearly a part of that $2 billion. I’m not ready to provide the precise determine because of industrial in confidence,” he added. 

Designed by Australian-company Birdon, the steel-hulled touchdown craft are 55 metres lengthy with a draft of 1.4 metres and beam of 10.5 metres. They will carry as much as 90 tonnes, which is roughly equal to 4 fully-loaded Excessive Mobility Artillery Rocket Programs (HIMARS), one principal battle tank, or one infantry preventing car and two Bushmasters.

Austal will start constructing the primary vessel in early 2025 with supply scheduled for 2026. It’s anticipated that the development program will run by way of into the early 2030s. 

The vessels, which can displace round 500 tonnes, will probably be considerably smaller than the deliberate Touchdown Craft Heavy (LC-H) that will probably be acquired by way of part 2. These, Minister Conroy mentioned, will probably be within the 3-5000 tonne vary. 

“We’re committing to constructing 26 very important touchdown craft for the Australian Military – 18 touchdown craft medium, which will probably be round 500 tonnes in dimension, and eight touchdown craft heavy, that will probably be 3,000 to five,000 tonnes. As huge as a frigate, women and gents,” Conroy defined. 

It’s anticipated that the primary LC-H will probably be delivered to the Australian Military in 2028. 

Australia’s Division of Defence has beforehand indicated that, assuming Austal performs effectively on the LC-M contract, it will be awarded the LC-H contract. 

Nevertheless, on the primary day of the 2024 Indian Ocean Defence and Safety Convention (IODS), Civmec and Austal introduced that they’d fashioned a three way partnership to bid on this system with a proposal for building to happen in Civmec’s meeting corridor, situated close to Austal’s personal facility in Henderson. 

“By combining Civmec’s Henderson shipbuilding amenities, which embrace the most important heavy engineering facility of its variety in Australia, our programs, metal manufacturing experience and 4,000 sturdy labour drive, along with Austal’s naval shipbuilding expertise and lengthy monitor document of supply, the JV could be very effectively positioned to ship environment friendly Steady Naval Shipbuilding in Western Australia to Defence,” mentioned Civmec’s Government Chairman, Jim Fitzgerald. 

As a part of the JV, which continues to be topic to additional negotiation, Austal would probably construct modules at its Henderson shipyard which might be assembled at Civmec. 

Whereas the 2 preliminary phases of Challenge Land 8710 are involved with littoral manoeuvre, part 3 is targeted on firepower. It should ship an undisclosed variety of “Quick Assault Craft” to the Military, every of which can be capable of ship direct firepower within the littoral surroundings. 

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