Australia orders 16 new amphibious logistics vehicles to support littoral operations.

On January 13, 2026, Birdon signed an AU$125 million contract with the Australian Government to design and build one prototype and 15 Amphibious Vehicle – Logistics (AV-L) for the Australian Army under Land 8710 program.

On January 13, 2026, Birdon signed a $125 million contract with the Australian Government to design and build one prototype and 15 Amphibious Vehicle – Logistics (AV-Ls) for the Australian Army's Land 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre program. The contract, valued at AU$125 million, equivalent to about US$84 million, covers the full design and construction of the future AV-L. The scope includes a single prototype followed by a production run of 15 vehicles, all to be manufactured in Australia at Birdon’s shipyard in Port Macquarie, which will operate where port infrastructure is limited or unavailable.
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Within the Land 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre program, the AV-Ls will provide the over-the-shore resupply element that links ships, beaches, and inland routes into a single sustainment chain. (Picture source: Birdon)

The Land 8710 Littoral Manoeuvre program is the Australian Army’s principal effort to modernise its ability to move, deploy, and sustain forces across coastal, riverine, and archipelagic environments, reflecting a broader shift toward operations focused on Australia’s northern approaches and the Indo-Pacific region. Structured in multiple phases, the program combines new landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and supporting infrastructure to enable shore-to-shore and ship-to-shore movement without reliance on fixed ports. It includes medium and heavy landing craft to transport vehicles, long-range fires, and sustainment loads, as well as amphibious logistics vehicles intended to replace ageing platforms such as the LARC-V. The Land 8710 also supports the establishment of dedicated Littoral Lift Groups and the development of Army maritime skills to operate alongside naval forces.

The program is closely aligned with the Army’s reorganisation toward littoral manoeuvre and long-range strike concepts, where mobility across land and sea interfaces is central. The AV-L fleet is intended to replace the Australian Army’s legacy Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo Vehicle, commonly known as the LARC-V, a design originally developed in the United States in the 1950s and introduced into service in the early 1960s. The LARC-V has supported over-the-shore resupply, coastal transport, and domestic assistance tasks for decades, but its age and limited performance envelope have constrained availability and reliability in demanding environments. Replacing this fleet reflects the Army’s requirement for higher endurance, improved safety, and more consistent performance when moving supplies between ships, beaches, and inland routes.

The transition also aligns with the Army’s shift toward operating in dispersed coastal and archipelagic areas, where logistics vehicles must function without port infrastructure. The Amphibious Vehicle – Logistics (AV-L) is designed for operation across land, surf zones, and open water, combining characteristics associated with deep-sea vessels and road-legal vehicles while complying with Australian safety and regulatory requirements. Birdon engineered the AV-L to function in high temperatures, extreme humidity, prolonged exposure to corrosive saltwater, and repeated operation in challenging surf zones, as it is intended to sustain repeated transitions between environments such as marshland, beaches, clay surfaces, and open water. This environmental tolerance is intended to support operations across Australia’s northern coastline and wider regional areas, to permit the Australian Army to move directly from road to surf without reconfiguration.

Mobility and control are addressed through integrated propulsion, steering, and traction systems intended to support smooth land-to-water transitions and controlled movement in the surf zone. The vehicle combines waterjet propulsion with a dynamic drivetrain to improve in-water manoeuvrability and reverse performance. A traction management system is included to automatically detect wheel bogging and slipping and adjust traction to regain grip when exiting wave zones. Additional elements include front and rear steering, automatic tire inflation, independent suspension, and a self-levelling system with ride height control, all aimed at maintaining stability during high-risk amphibious movements.

According to available information, the AV-L will possess a stated length of 11.7 m, with a listed payload of 5.2 short tons (ST) or 4.7 metric tonnes (MT). Land range figures include 500 miles or 800 km on land and 80 nautical miles on water at Sea State 4. Stated maximum speeds are 34 mph or 55 km/h on land and 9.5 knots on water. These figures indicate a balance between road mobility and sustained in-water operation rather than optimisation for a single domain. The payload system is modular and includes a deck crane to support varied cargo and resupply tasks. These parameters reflect a balance between road mobility and sustained in-water endurance.

Additional design elements focus on survivability, safety, and maintainability in harsh coastal environments. The vehicle uses guarded waterjets with no exposed propellers to reduce debris damage and improve safety during surf operations. Dual Namjet waterjet propulsion is specified to support manoeuvrability, alongside independent suspension and a locking differential for traction on soft or slippery terrain. The configuration includes a central tyre inflation system, isolated fuel tanks, and single-point lift and tie-down features to support transport handling, including compatibility with C-17 airlift. Improved seakeeping, stability, and roll mitigation are part of the design baseline. Fire safety measures and a reverse flush system for clearing debris from jet intakes are also integrated.

Design features focus on sustaining operations in debris-prone coastal environments and reducing operational risk during repeated beaching cycles. The vehicle uses guarded water jets with no exposed propellers to improve safety and tolerance to debris, supported by dual Namjet waterjet propulsion. Other referenced features include a locking differential for traction on soft or slippery terrain, central tyre inflation, isolated fuel tanks, and provisions for single-point lift and tie-down to support transport handling, including compatibility with C-17 air transport. Improved seakeeping, stability, and roll mitigation are cited, alongside a reverse flush system to clear debris from jet intakes and integrated fire safety measures.

All AV-L vehicles will be designed and built at Birdon’s shipyard in Port Macquarie on the New South Wales Mid North Coast, supporting employment and skills development while contributing to Australia’s sovereign maritime and defence manufacturing base. Birdon was founded in Port Macquarie in 1977 and first contracted by the Department of Defence in 1992, with continued work for Defence and other government agencies since that time. The company reports a workforce of more than 700 employees, contracted work valued at about $3 billion AUD, and a domestic supply chain of over 1,300 Australian partners. Within Land 8710, the AV-L contract establishes the amphibious logistics vehicle component alongside other littoral mobility assets, defining fleet size, build location, and a prototype pathway toward service entry.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.