Austal Australia will collaborate Austal Australia with local defence industry giants BMT and Raytheon Australia to deliver the new Australian Independent Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel, or ILMV, for the Australian Army.
Based on a proven design and carefully adapted for the Australian climate, the Australian ILMV is a world-class, future-ready capability and sovereign solution aligned with the Army’s new and complex littoral manoeuvre requirements.
If selected to deliver the Army’s LAND 8710-1A program, Raytheon Australia will head the team to deliver the BMT-designed vessel, which will be built by Austal at the Henderson shipyard in WA.
Austal CEO Paddy Gregg said the “highly experienced WA-based shipyard team” has the capability and capacity to deliver this specific class of ships.
“As one of Australia’s largest shipbuilders with an acknowledged world class operation and decades of Australian Defence Force experience, we have an existing workforce that is trusted to deliver on multiple programs from our Henderson shipyard. Our unique ability to do production design in our shipyard will also minimise risk and cost to the LAND 8710-1A program,” said Gregg.
“Our team has a successful track record in delivering ships every three months and this project will be key to providing a continuous ship building program and preserving local jobs in this vital sovereign industry.”
Michael Ward, Raytheon Australia’s managing director the project partners are ready to deliver a fielded and safe littoral manoeuvre capability to the Australian Army.
“Raytheon Australia knows how complex it is to bring a ship design to life – from training to operational testing and evaluation to sea trials and certifications,” Ward said.
“Our experience has taught us that this is a complex endeavour, requiring unique expertise that we have invested in developing over the past 22 years of delivering large-scale defence projects on time and to budget.
“From our work to deliver the Hobart class destroyers, and our current evergreening activities on the LAND19 Phase 7B program, we have the relevant expertise, processes, tools and capacity to bring this new class of ships to life for the Australian Army,” Ward said.
BMT Senior Business Development Manager, Trevor Dove said the vessel had been
“custom-made specifically for the Australian environment”.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer our customised Australian Independent Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel design, optimising stability, speed, endurance, fuel, stores and accommodation for independent and in-company operations,” Dove said.
“Our partnership with Raytheon Australia and Austal brings the experience and pedigree capable of delivering a low-risk solution designed specifically for current and future Australian Army Littoral Manoeuvre requirements.”
