Birdon lands the big one
The buzz at Australian marine engineering company Birdon at the recent Land Forces Expo in Melbourne was its success in being named preferred designer for the Australian Army’s Landing Craft Medium capability.
The company’s design is the basis of an 18-vessel order placed by the Army. On board are four 1600 hp Cummins QSK38 propulsion engines and four Cummins QSB7 generator sets.
The new fleet, to be built by Austal in Henderson, Western Australia, will be capable of carrying joint forces’ current and planned armoured and protected vehicles as a combat-laden mission system in high seas states.
The first vessel is expected to be delivered in 2026.
1000th Cummins for BEBs
It was also revealed at Land Forces that Birdon is close to installing the 1000th Cummins QSB6.7 engine in bridge erection boats (BEBs) it designed – and is building – for the U.S. Army at the company’s Denver facility.
The 1000th engine, rated at 250 hp, will be installed in the 500th twin-engined BEB, a waterjet vessel used to help the army erect temporary bridges in warzones and also for disaster response.
The vessel is based on a design Birdon developed in the early 2000s when it won a $15 million contract to supply the Australian Army with 24 Cummins-powered bridge erection propulsion boats (BEPBs).
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