Page 103 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
LAND WARFARE LITTORAL MANOEUVRE 103
ONE aspect of the $800 million Land 8710 Phase 1 will replace Army’s ageing fleet of LCM-8 (Landing Craft Mechanised) vessels and another will focus on the replacement of its 5-ton LARC-V (Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo) fleet.
The Commonwealth’s Request For Tender (RFT) for the LCM-8 replacement, known as Littoral Vessel – Medium (LMV-M) closed in June and a downselect is now awaited by industry. The LARC replacement is being considered under the Littoral Manoeuvre Vehicle – Amphibious Phase of Land 8710.
The 59-tonne LCM-8 entered service in Australia in the 1970s and has served Army well since that time, particular- ly in the remote northern areas of Australia, but the Com- monwealth’s requirements for the new LMV-M require a
vessel with extended range and capable of carrying loads up to 80 tonnes, including a fully-laden Abrams M1A2 Main Battle Tank.
Land 8710 Phase 1 seeks to acquire “up to” 18 steel- hulled vessels, which are required to be manufactured at Henderson in Western Australia.
LAND 8710 DEVELOPMENT
The Land 8710 program was launched by then-Defence Minister Linda Reynolds in February 2021 and has its ori- gins in the 2020 Force Structure Plan (FSP).
“These new vessels, introduced from 2026, will be larg- er, faster and better protected to support ADF operations,” Reynolds said in a statement at that time. “They will allow Defence to quickly and effectively deploy both domestically and to our near region, as well as remain engaged with regional security partners and support humanitarian assis- tance to our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific.
“With two separate fleets to be acquired, the watercraft will provide independent shore-to-shore, ship-to-shore, and over-the-shore capabilities to better manoeuvre and sustain the ADF in littoral and riverine environments.”
Reynolds said that both the LCM-8 and LARC replace- ment fleets will provide opportunities for Australian com- panies in the detailed design, build, maintenance and sup- port of the capabilities.
However, Acting Head Land Capability Brigadier Jeremy King says Land 8710 is much more than a replacement for the ageing LCM-8s and LARCS, but a response to the need for an enhanced littoral manoeuvre capability.
“It’s the recognition that whether it’s for humanitarian assistance, international engagement, or high-end opera- tions or high-threat environments, there is a driving per- spective that we will be required to be on the water at some point – either transiting or loitering or supporting from,” BRIG King explains.
LEFT: Artwork of Navantia Australia’s vision for an LCH capability under Land 8710 Phase 2
BELOW: Navantia Australia and UGL have created a joint venture called Landing Craft Australia for Land 8710 Phase 1
NAVANTIA AUSTRALIA
NAVANTIA AUSTRALIA