What happened
- The $245 million loan funds new facilities at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, WA, subject to conditions precedent.
- The Landing Craft Heavy program is worth about $4 billion: eight 100-metre vessels for the Army by 2038.
- The program sits under the 2025 Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement, and the Commonwealth will meet the loan costs.
- About 780 new jobs are expected in Western Australia.
Why it matters
Henderson is filling with continuous naval work. More hulls on the slipways means more pipework, systems installation and test work in WA, and more demand for contractors who can clean and prove fluid systems before acceptance.
SI briefing summarising public reporting by Defence Connect. Figures are as reported by the source.
