The Australian government has awarded Austal Limited a contract worth 1.029 billion Australian dollars ($681.4 million) to construct 18 Landing Craft Medium (LCM) vessels for the Australian Army.
The LCMs are amphibious platforms designed to transport personnel, vehicles, and equipment between ships and shore during beachhead and amphibious assault operations.
Construction will be carried out by Austal’s defense division at its Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. Work under the contract is scheduled to commence in 2026, with final deliveries to the Army expected by 2032.
According to Australia’s Department of Defence, the LCMs will be steel-hulled vessels capable of carrying payloads of up to 90 metric tons (176,370 pounds). This capacity is equivalent to transporting four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), a single main battle tank, or one infantry fighting vehicle accompanied by two Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles—comparable to the payload of large military transport aircraft such as the C-17 Globemaster.
Once in service, the LCMs will be supported by Amphibious Vehicle Logistics systems, enabling operations in littoral environments and restricted waterways affected by obstacles, debris, or hostile action.
The LCM program forms part of Australia’s LAND 8710 initiative, which aims to modernize and expand the Australian Defence Force’s amphibious capability for the insertion and extraction of troops, vehicles, and weapons.
The LCMs will be delivered alongside eight larger Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels, each capable of carrying loads equivalent to 26 HIMARS launchers, six main battle tanks, or 11 infantry fighting vehicles.
Austal will also lead the design and construction of the LCH fleet at its Henderson facility, with production scheduled to begin in 2026.
