Kongsberg Maritime to supply Kamewa waterjets for Australian Army’s new landing craft fleet

Kongsberg Maritime has signed an agreement with Austal Defence Australia to supply Kamewa Steel Series waterjets for the Australian Army’s new Landing Craft Medium (LCM) fleet.

The agreement, announced on 10 September 2026, covers four waterjets for each vessel in the 18-ship programme. The LCM vessels will be constructed at Austal’s shipyards in Western Australia.

18-vessel Landing Craft Medium programme

The new LCMs will be steel-hulled landing craft designed to transport payloads of up to 80 tonnes. The programme represents the first vessel class designed and built by Austal for the Australian Army under the Australian Government’s Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement.

Kongsberg Maritime’s waterjet systems will be integrated into the propulsion arrangement of each vessel, with deliveries coordinated with Austal Defence Australia’s construction schedule.

The agreement also extends the existing relationship between Kongsberg Maritime and Austal, which has involved Kamewa waterjet propulsion systems across a range of naval and commercial vessel programmes.

Kamewa waterjets selected for LCM propulsion

Kongsberg Maritime’s Kamewa Steel Series waterjets are designed for high-performance naval, government and commercial vessels, with the system incorporating propulsion characteristics aimed at supporting manoeuvrability, efficiency and reliability.

Magnus Fahlén, Senior Vice President Waterjet System at Kongsberg Marine, said: “Austal has been a valued customer for Kamewa waterjets for many years across both naval and commercial vessel projects, worldwide. This latest agreement reflects the confidence Austal Defence Australia places in our technology and our ability to deliver robust, high-performance propulsion solutions for demanding operational environments. We look forward to supporting the successful delivery of the Landing Craft Medium fleet and contributing to a capability that will serve the Australian Army for decades to come.”

Waterjet testing carried out during design phase

Kongsberg Maritime also supported the pre-contract design work for the LCM programme through cavitation tunnel testing at its Hydrodynamic Research Centre.

Tim Speer, Chief Engineer at Austal Defence Australia, said: “Kongsberg Maritime’s support was invaluable during the design phase, specifically ensuring that the propulsion system performance would be well understood and de-risked.”

The testing formed part of the design activity undertaken before the propulsion supply agreement was finalised.