BMT & Nautic Star to offer M80 Interceptor Sea Boat and Caimen 90 Landing Craft to Australia.

BMT and Nautic Star have announced a teaming agreement to offer the M80 Interceptor Next Generation Sea Boat to the Government of Australia. In the same time, BMT is about to offer its Caimen 90 Landing Craft for the Australian Army's Land 8710 Phase 1 Program.

BMT's M80 Interceptor Sea Boat (Picture source: BMT)

The M80 Interceptor Sea Boat, a sovereign navy interceptor capability, has been fine-tuned over many years to optimise the balance between soft riding, rough water performance in any direction and equally impressive calm water performance.

“Nautic Star has already supplied sea boats to the Australian Border Force, proving that local firms can offer the world-leading capability for Australia’s defence and national security requirements,” Mr Behrendt said.

“BMT is fully committed to developing Australia’s defence and national security capability, export capacity, national security, fiscal and broader policy and as well developing a skilled workforce as a national asset,” Mr Behrendt said.

The M80 Interceptor is a 7.3m vessel suitable for a number of maritime requirements including the Royal Australian Navy Armidale Class Patrol Boats.

BMT's Caimen 90 Landing Craft (Picture source: BMT)

The Caimen 90 was designed by BMT and is able to operate at high speeds with heavy payloads, allowing faster amphibious offload from host ship compared with slower, more conventional landing craft. Land 8710 Phase 1 is the program to replace the Australian Army’s Mark 8 Landing Craft.

Developed to respond to emerging requirements to distance amphibious forces further from the beach, BMT’s CAIMEN-90 fast landing craft offers huge advances in connector performance. High speeds with exceptional seakeeping, even while carrying the main battle tank, can be realised through BMT’s advanced tribow monohull landing craft form.

The vessel is able to operate at high speeds with heavy payloads, allowing faster amphibious offload from a host ship compared with slower, more conventional landing craft. The tri-bow monohull is constructed from aluminium and has been extensively modelled tested, with the capability of the design being proven not only in terms of speed but also seakeeping and manoeuvrability.

Through speed improvements, delivery and offload of similar quantities of vehicle stores and personnel can be achieved within the same timeframe and the specially designed hull form allows for reduced host ship vulnerability by launching landing craft further offshore and maintaining flexibility in stand-off distance.

Caimen 90 has a length of 30 m, a beam of 7.7 m, a draught of 1.5 m and a displacement of 203 tonnes. It has a deck area of 90 m2 and a max capacity of 90 tonnes. Anticipated payloads of one main battle tank or four all-terrain vehicles, plus additional design payloads. Three main diesel engines are driving the three waterjet propulsors. It can reach a maximum speed of 22 knots.