Australia Orders 18 Landing Craft Medium From Austal
Canberra has awarded Austal Limited a 1.029-billion Australian dollar ($681.4 million) contract to build 18 Landing Craft Medium (LCM) vessels for the Australian Army.
LCMs are watercraft systems designed to transport warfighters between ship and shore during beachhead landings.
Production will be conducted by Austal’s defense segment at its Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.
Work on this deal is scheduled to begin in 2026. The Australian Army is expected to receive the final ship from this effort by 2032.
“With these 18 Landing Craft Medium…we are developing the shipbuilding capability to build larger, more complex vessels, in Henderson into the future and delivering sovereign shipbuilding capability for Australia,” Austal Limited CEO Paddy Gregg stated.
The LCM Fleet
Australia’s Department of Defence noted in its earlier announcement that the LCM will be constructed with steel components and will be able to carry up to 90 metric tons (176,370 pounds).
Its payload capacity is comparable to four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), one main battle tank, or one infantry fighting vehicle along with two Bushmasters, similar to the freight weight limit of large military transport aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster.
Once operational, the LCM will be supported by Amphibious Vehicle Logistics, designed for deployment in littoral zones and small waterways obstructed by enemy barriers or debris.
More Landing Craft Expected
The LCM is part of Canberra’s LAND 8710 program, which seeks to modernize and expand the Australian Defence Force’s ability to insert and extract troops, vehicles, and weapons in amphibious operations.
The LCM will be delivered alongside eight Landing Craft Heavy (LCH), larger vessels with a payload capacity equivalent to 26 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, six main battle tanks, or 11 infantry fighting vehicles.
Austal will also lead the development of the LCHs at its Henderson facility, with construction scheduled to begin in 2026.
