Federal Defence Industries Minister Pat Conway today announced in Perth a $2 billion project to build a fleet of military vessels in Henderson.
The project is scheduled to deliver the first ship in 2026, and will involve the construction of 26 large landing craft for the Australian military (18 medium and eight heavy) and is expected to create 1,100 jobs.
Concept design of the Army’s new medium landing ship.
“We are moving these projects forward, accelerating them to respond to the strategic circumstances we face,” Conway said. “We are moving the delivery of the medium lander vehicles forward by two years, and we will start construction next year, with the first vehicle being delivered in 2026.”
The ships will be built at Austal’s Henderson Naval Shipyard, with Western Australia Defence Minister Paul Papalia claiming the area will become a continuing shipbuilding site.
“This is a huge announcement not just for Western Australia but for the whole nation,” he said. “For the first time we will be able to build continuous stores in Western Australia, which means generations of jobs. People can grow up knowing that if they want to, they can enter an industry that can employ them for their entire career.”
Today’s announcement of the warship project comes on the eve of the Indian Ocean Defence and Security Conference, which will host for the first time all three AUKUS-class admirals from the US, UK and Australia.
