MAN Energy Solutions and Doen WaterJets have agreed to join forces to offer a low emission fully integrated propulsion system solution to the Australian Army’s LAND 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Phase 1A (LMV-M) programme to acquire a medium landing craft suitable for a range of missions in Australia’s northern waters and beyond.
The cooperation spans the full product lifecycle including propulsion system design, Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) and commissioning, through to spare parts and technical services once the landing craft enter service.
Tim Udvary, MD Doen WaterJets, said: “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. 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.”
Jeffrey Moloney, MD Australia, MAN Energy Solutions, said: “We believe a system approach, teaming with Doen WaterJets, provides a unique point of difference for this mission-critical system. 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.”
MAN Energy Solutions is offering its MAN 175D engine, which has been chosen for 14 South-East Asian Navy and Governmental programmes since it was released to the market in 2016. The MAN 175D offers low-load endurance fit for extended riverine and littoral mission profiles while smart adaptation of turbocharger wastegate control and various other features mean the MAN 175D will maintain 100% rated power output in the hottest Northern Australian environments.
To match the MAN 175D engine, Doen is offering its all-Australian DJ400 water jet, manufactured at its Melbourne facility. The DJ400 features a fully stainless-steel impeller pump design; the rotor, casing and nozzle are all stainless steel, making DJ400 a tough and wear-and-corrosion resistant product. This, combined with the flexibility to customise features to suit the application, for example incorporation of a stainless steel intake grill, ensures high levels of 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 suppliers to MAN Energy Solutions. MAN Energy Solutions would be an authorised service partner for all of the supplied equipment and commits to establishing MAN PrimeServ facilities in Townsville, Queensland and Darwin, Northern Territory ensuring local service support for the complete propulsion system. MAN Energy Solutions and Doen WaterJets will invest in training so MAN PrimeServ technicians come equipped with knowledge of the MAN 175D engine and Doen DJ400 water jet.
In addition to the in-service support, a benefit of MAN Energy Solutions and DOEN collaboration is fuel consumption, which is believed to be best in class and will reduce operating costs, with potential to extend landing craft range. Engine load response and a wide water-jet cavitation margin will ensure LMV-M can navigate tight corners with ease. The Army will have confidence in knowing that MAN 175D engine and DJ400 water jet feature in the Qatari Emiri Navy, Landing Craft Mechanised (LCM) vessels Broog and Ishat, which have operated successfully since entering service in July 2022.
