Austal Limited has secured a $4 billion contract to build eight Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) vessels for the Australian Defence Force under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with the Commonwealth of Australia.
The award follows announcements by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, the Hon. Richard Marles, and Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Pat Conroy.
Contract execution will take place today at Austal’s Henderson facilities, with confirmation to be issued separately to the ASX.
Construction of the 100‑metre LCH vessels, based on the Damen LST100 design, will use Austal’s Henderson shipyard and the Common User Facility in Western Australia. Work is scheduled to begin in 2026, with the final vessel expected for delivery in 2038.
Austal CEO, Paddy Gregg, said the contract reinforces the company’s role as Australia’s sovereign shipbuilder and a trusted ADF partner.
READ: Kongsberg, PT PAL partner on energy-efficient vessels
Gregg said: “This contract represents another significant investment in Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding capability — and Austal Defence Australia is ready to deliver these highly capable vessels to support the ADF’s operational requirements.
“While Austal’s US business has traditionally accounted for a large share of our defence order book, this contract reflects the growing strength and success of Austal’s Australian operations. It provides geographic diversity of earnings and stability for the next 12 years.”
Gavin Stewart, Executive GM – Strategic Shipbuilding at Austal Defence Australia, highlighted that LCH is the second major project under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement, following the $1.029 billion Landing Craft Medium contract awarded in December 2025.
He added: “These programmes represent decades of continuous naval shipbuilding work, delivered here in Western Australia. Landing Craft Medium and Heavy provide outstanding opportunities for people and businesses to engage with Austal Defence Australia and our supply chain to deliver new capability for Australia.”
For more information:
Austal Limited – https://www.austal.com/
