The Australian Government has selected a design developed by Dutch shipbuilder Damen Shipyards as the preferred option for the Australian Defense Force’s Landing Craft Heavy under a program expected to bolster national defense by establishing a new littoral fleet.
The Government has prioritized the acquisition of new littoral maneuver capabilities and infrastructure to meet the aims of the National Defense Strategy. This new announcement is the next stage in the transformation of the Australian Army to one focused on littoral maneuvers and long-range strikes.
Damen Shipyards Group’s Landing Ship Transport 100 (LST100) will serve in deploying and sustaining land forces with long-range land and maritime strike capabilities in littoral environments.
Eight vessels, based on this design, will be built by Australian shipbuilder Austal at the Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia.
The design has a 3,900-tonne displacement and is 100 meters long and 16 meters wide. 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.
The vessel will be capable of carrying more than 500 tonnes of military vehicles and equipment. 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, according to the officials.
Construction of the first landing craft heavy is expected to start in 2026.
“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,” Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy , said.