The US Marine Corps has selected Birdon’s advanced Heavy Landing Craft – H260 design to be part of a test and evaluation exercise focused on the missions it envisions Marines executing in the future.
The H-260, a long-range, shallow draft, independent vessel, shares a common lineage to Birdon’s proposed Heavy Landing Craft for the Australian Army LMV-H. It embodies Birdon’s extensive knowledge of the Indo-Pacific’s demanding area of operations, both sea states and landing conditions, and Birdon’s understanding of the US Marine Corps and Australian Defence Force littoral warfare concepts.
Looking outwardly similar to many oil and gas offshore support vessels, but with integrated signature reduction features, the 260-foot-long craft features a payload of 440 short tons, deck space of 8,000 sq ft, the ability to accommodate 72 Marines and 26 crew, a range of over 5,000nm, and a draft of only 6.5 feet allowing it to access a far larger proportion of beach and riverine offload locations than similar sized vessels. Its inherent robustness and resilience enable the H-260 to adapt to a wide range of mission profiles and sustain multiple deployments.
The aft loading and forward enclosed ramps enable rapid load transfer while adding flexibility to cope with a wider range of landing sites. Its forward wheelhouse and accommodation are distanced from the noise and vibration of the propulsion systems, and combined with the proprietary bow reduces pitching moment and accelerations on embarked personnel, all of whom have bunks, delivering an enhanced habitability.
Crew and commanders have extensive visibility for all operational activities.
Birdon’s experience in the engagement and successful execution of major US Defence programs provides a solid foundation for its partnership with the MCWL.
“We’re honoured that our Heavy Landing Craft H-260 design was chosen for the US Marine Corps Warfighting Lab’s mission testing.”
Birdon Group CEO, Jamie Bruce
This partnership is a testament to Birdon’s track record in delivering the required outcomes for our clients across the US and Australia through an unwavering focus on designing operationally superior vessels that meet the needs of our customers now and into the future.
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Naval News comments:
Birdon Group’s Heavy Landing Craft – H260 shares striking design and specification similarities with the recently disclosed draft specifications for the Marine Corps’ Landing Ship Medium.
The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) released a solicitation announcement to industry last week that covered the Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) of the first six Medium Landing Ships (LSM).
Prior to this solicitation, NAVSEA seeking industry feedback, shared a draft Request For Proposal (RFP) containing LSM’s preliminary specifications with shipbuilders.
According to this information, which NAVSEA shared with USNI News, the LSM is to be capable of carrying at least 75 Marines, hauling 600 tons of equipment, and have a 8,000 square foot (743 square meters) cargo area. Furthermore, the ships dimensions were put at 400 feet (183 meters) long, with a draft of less than 12 feet (3.6 meters), and an endurance speed of 14 knots.Â
Comparing this with the H260 which according to Birdon, has the ability to accommodate 72 Marines, is capable of hauling 440 tons and has 8,000 square feet (743 square meters) of deck space. The craft has a length of 260 feet (79 meters), a draft of 6.5 feet (1.9 meters) and a range of over 5,000 nmi.
It’s no coincidence that the Marines have picked Birdon’s H260 as a platform to experiment with ahead of the service’s own purpose-built solution which is expected to start construction in 2026.
