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Austal Defence Australia and Damen Shipyards Group have signed a contract to support the local construction of Landing Ship Transport (LST) 100 for the Australian Defence Force. The contract follows the announcement by the Australian government in November 2024, selecting the LST 100 as the preferred design for the Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) program. This decision came after a competitive tender process.
The design of the LST 100 was chosen due to its proven operational capabilities and successful deployment history. A previous model has already been built and delivered, leading to further international acceptance, including selection by NAVSEA for the United States Navy.
In recent years, defense organizations have increasingly adopted proven and operational ship designs to minimize program risk and shorten delivery times. By utilizing established platforms with a proven track record, technical uncertainties can be reduced, and development times can be shortened.
Production in Henderson
The ships will be built by Austal under a 15-year strategic shipbuilding contract with the Australian government. A total of eight Landing Craft Heavy are to be delivered over a period of twelve years, with construction set to begin later this year. The construction will take place in Henderson, utilizing Austal’s facilities as well as the AMC CUF, 23 km south of Perth. The complex already plays a significant role in supporting the local economy and is currently undergoing extensive modernization to enable large defense ship projects in the coming years. Damen emphasizes that the company is proud to contribute its expertise and craftsmanship to this Australian shipbuilding project, which will enhance the capabilities of the armed forces, support sustainability, and promote regional development.
The Landing Craft Heavy program supports the contribution of the Australian Army to the National Defence Strategy 2024, which aims to improve the Army’s ability to conduct agile, distributed, and littoral operations as part of an integrated force. The new ships will assist the Army in projecting, supporting, and supplying land forces across Australia’s northern approaches and in the wider region.
Each ship will have a length of 100 m and a width of 16 m, capable of transporting over 500 t of military vehicles and equipment. In addition to supporting amphibious operations, the ships will also be used for deployment, logistics movements, as well as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
