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Austal Limited chief executive officer Paddy Gregg has confirmed that the company has “taken over from Birdon and will mature the design” of the Landing Craft Medium project, while also holding meetings with Japanese representatives responsible for the new Mogami Class general purpose frigate.
Earlier this week, Austal announced that the Commonwealth of Australia had awarded the first project-specific tasking statement under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement to Austal Defence Australia.
Under the statement, the Landing Craft Medium (LCM) Design Authority Tasking Statement (DATS), with a value of approximately $15 million, appointed Austal Defence Australia to undertake initial design and engineering activities as the design authority.
The DATS provides Austal Defence Australia with the ability to control, mature and progress the LCM design, and continue working with industry partners to finalise the LCM vessel design which commenced in 2024 under interim arrangements.
Subject to final contractual terms, Austal Defence Australia anticipates that a further LCM Design and Build Tasking Statement to continue to mature the design and then construct and deliver the LCM will be awarded in Q4 of CY2025.
“We’re the strategic shipbuilder so the Commonwealth chose the Birdon design. They’ve been working with Birdon. We’ve taken over from Birdon and we’ll mature the design into production,” Gregg said.
“We were advised of it … (It) doesn’t change anything in the design and it’s fairly standard for the shipbuilder to take over the design for production, so to get ready for manufacture.
“Generally, we have had a fantastic reception at the (IndoPac) conference … The demand has been overwhelming. It’s nice to have so many suppliers want to come and talk to us about working with us. It’s nice to see so many other navies interested in what Australia is doing.
“There are opportunities for export, opportunities for partnership, opportunities in the United States where we’ve got a big presence and in Asia as well. So it’s a really exciting conference for us and really happy to work with the Commonwealth as their strategic shipbuilder.”
In separate news at the conference, Austal also confirmed plans to work with Australia’s next general purpose frigate, the Mitsubishi-manufactured Mogami Class frigate. Mitsubishi reportedly met with Austal earlier in the week.
“We’re very focused on Australia and strategic shipbuilding agreement, getting the landing craft medium into full contract, working up landing craft heavy with Defence, and then starting to talk about Mogami,” he said.
“Of course, Defence have down-selected the Mogami Class and the intention is that project will come through the strategic shipbuilding agreement. So very, very exciting and long future.
“I think it’s intended we will be the strategic shipbuilder. We will be responsible for the build here in Australia. We will work with Mitsubishi. I see this as being a very long-term partnership and a great relationship, which is already starting today.
“(We have a) good relationship between Mitsubishi and Austal. We met with them yesterday. So I think they’re working on the first three vessels in Japan at the minute and as they get through that workload we’ll then start working with Defence, with Mitsubishi about that transition of technology and build from Japan to Australia.”
