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Defence selects Damen LST100 for Army LCH contract

Defence has selected the Gorinchem, Netherlands-based Damen Shipyards Group Landing Ship Transport 100 (LST100) as the preferred option for the ADF’s Landing Craft Heavy under Project LAND8710.

Eight Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels, based on the 15 knot, 3,900-tonne LST100, will be built by Austal at the Henderson Shipyard in Western Australia, subject to acceptable commercial negotiations and demonstrated performance.

This announcement is a significant step in the establishment of a littoral fleet, says Defence in a statement, and is expected to create 1,100 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs in Western Australia under the continuous naval shipbuilding plan.

The LST100 will provide a capability which is essential to the restructure and re-posture of the Army, says Defence. The vessels, along with Landing Craft Medium and amphibious vehicles, will support a strategy of denial which includes deploying and sustaining land forces with long-range land and maritime strike capabilities in littoral environments.

The Australian government has prioritised the acquisition of new littoral manoeuvre capabilities and infrastructure to meet the aims of the National Defence Strategy.

The LST100 has a 3,900-tonne displacement, is 100m long, 16m wide and has a draft of 3.5-3.9m. It 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-defence weapon systems and Australian military communications. Construction of the first Landing Craft Heavy is expected to start in 2026.  Funding for the ADF’s new littoral manoeuvre vessels is part of the Integrated Investment Program.

The LST100 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.

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