The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia is moving forward to create a new littoral fleet capability as part of its investment program expanding Australia’s defense capabilities. Australia’s Defence Ministers announced the selection of the design and will commence commercial negotiations with Austal which will be responsible for building the fleet of new vessels in Western Australia while they are also moving forward on the design project for new general purpose frigates.
Calling it a “significant step in the establishment of a littoral fleet,” the government announced on Friday that it has selected a design by Damen Shipyards Group as the preferred option for the Australian Defence Force’s Landing Craft Heavy. The government has prioritized the acquisition of new littoral maneuver capabilities and infrastructure to meet the aims of the National Defense Strategy.
The LST100 vessel design has a 3,900-tonne displacement, is 328 feet (100 meters) long will be capable of carrying more than 500 tonnes of military vehicles and equipment. Government officials said it will be capable of operating with other vessels to undertake a range of tasks including troop insertion and extraction, logistics movements, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It is intended to carry six Abrams Tanks,11 Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles, or 26 HIMARS - and will be fitted with self-defense weapons systems and Australian military communications.
“The announcement on the selection of a design for Landing Craft Heavy is great news for the Australian Defence Force and all industry stakeholders, demonstrating the Australian Government’s clear commitment to achieving continuous naval shipbuilding in Western Australia, and delivering an effective littoral capability for the Australian Army,” said Austal Chief Executive Paddy Gregg.
The plan calls for building eight Landing Craft Heavy vessels, based on the Damen Shipyards Group’s Landing Ship Transport 100 (LST100). Construction, which is expected to start in 2026, will be by Australian shipbuilder Austal at the Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia, subject to acceptable commercial negotiations and demonstrated performance.
“Importantly, these vessels will be built in Australia, from Australian steel,” said Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy. “This project is an important part of our plans for continuous naval shipbuilding in both South Australia and Western Australia, which is creating thousands of well-paid and high-skilled jobs.”
The landing craft is another piece in a comprehensive plan by the Albanese Government designed to expand Australia’s naval forces. Today, November 25, it announced the selection of two shipbuilders, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, to progress designs for Australia’s future general purpose frigates. In May they announced discussions with five shipbuilders, with the others being in South Korea and Spain. Defence said it will now work with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, and Australian industry partners to further develop the proposals for the Mogami and MEKO A-200 frigates.
The Albanese Government is investing up to A$55 billion over the decade, including up to A$10 billion for the general purpose frigates, as part of a plan that will more than double the size of the Navy’s surface combatant fleet compared with the former government’s plan.
Australia’s new general purpose frigates will replace the Anzac Class frigates and will be equipped for undersea warfare and local air defense. The current plan calls for the first three general purpose frigates to be built offshore and transitioned to Australia with the remainder of the build to be constructed locally at Henderson in Western Australia.
