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Marine propulsion company Doen WaterJets has reached a memorandum of understanding with energy equipment developer MAN Energy Solutions to offer propulsion systems for Australia’s future littoral manoeuvre vessels.
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Both companies have agreed to join forces to offer a fully integrated propulsion system solution to the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Phase 1A (LMV-M) program, after attending the Indo Pacific 2023 International Maritime Exposition in Sydney.
The agreement would cover a propulsion system for Australian Army landing craft and span the full product life cycle, including propulsion system design, integrated logistics support and commissioning, through to spare parts and technical services once the landing craft enters service.
“We have had considerable success supplying our waterjet products to landing craft and other defence programs for the United States, Israeli, Indian, and Indonesian Navies, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and other government agencies across the globe,” according to Doen WaterJets managing director Tim Udvary.
“Joining forces with MAN Energy Solutions, we are committed to harness our collective track record to provide an extremely robust, reliable and serviceable water jet propulsion system to the Australian Army if selected for the LAND 8710 programme.”
Under the agreement, MAN would offer the MAN 175D high-speed engine with smart adaptation of turbocharger wastegate control and other features to maintain 100 per cent rated power output in Northern Australian environments.
DOEN would offer the stainless-steel Australian DJ400 fully impeller pump design water jet, manufactured in Melbourne, with an incorporated stainless-steel intake grill to suit operability and reliability in the green and brown waters highlighted by the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 functional specification.
Under the terms of the agreement, MAN Energy Solutions would be the propulsion system supplier to the prospective shipyard with Doen WaterJets and the gearbox manufacturer supplier to MAN Energy Solutions.
In addition, MAN Energy Solutions would be an authorised service partner for all supplied equipment and committed to establishing MAN PrimeServ facilities in Townsville, Queensland and Darwin, Northern Territory.
“We believe a system approach, teaming with Doen WaterJets, provides a unique point of difference for this mission-critical system,” according to MAN Energy Solutions managing director Australia Jeffrey Moloney.
“Having one propulsion system supplier for LMV-M from acquisition to sustainment is consistent with our understanding of the Department of Defence’s desire for integrated, robust and well-supported systems in the regions they operate.”
The MAN 175D engine and DJ400 water jet already feature in the Qatari Emiri Navy, landing craft mechanised (LCM) vessels Broog and Ishat, operated successfully since entering service in July 2022.
