Austal and Birdon to develop Australia’s LC-M project

Austal Ships and Birdon have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop defence shipbuilding capability in Western Australia to deliver the Australian Department of Defence Landing Craft-Medium (LC-M) project.

The formation of the MoU started in late November when Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy, announced a Heads of Agreement (HoA) to establish a Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement (SSA) between Austal and the Commonwealth, and named Austal as the preferred vessel constructor. Birdon was selected by the Commonwealth as the preferred designer for the LC-M roject.

Under the MoU, Austal and Birdon have agreed to work with each other to jointly develop a costed proposal for the LC-M project, along with exploring a range of other potential defence shipbuilding opportunities.

“Austal has a very good track record of working effectively with third-party vessel designers and we look forward to working with Birdon to develop the MoU into a more substantive partnership so that we can deliver a capable and cost-effective LC-M program for the Army,” Austal’s CEO Paddy Gregg said.

Birdon CEO Jamie Bruce said the MoU was a signal of the intent of both companies to form a collaborative relationship for the design and build of LC-Ms.

“We are pleased that our LC-M design, which exceeds requirements and will deliver beyond any other vessel currently in-service or advertised globally, was the design preferred by the Commonwealth. We look forward to teaming with Austal to bring the design to life,” Bruce added.