The US Marine Corps will deploy one of its experimental ships, known as Stern Landing Vessel (SLV), in Australia for a series of tests with the Australian Army. The purpose is to collect lessons identified and review the requirements for the service’s future island-hopping vessels project, the envisioned Medium Landing Ship (LSM).

In detail, the SLV, which the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) started experimenting with last year, will be tested overseas to support the LSM platform and concept evolution in accordance with the USMC ongoing Force Design and to support the Marine Littoral Regiments and “bring their gear from island to island in places such as the Indo-Pacific’s first island chain.” A kind of warfare manoeuvre that is also under development in the Australian Army and specifically with its 1st Brigade (Littoral) stationed in Darwin, Northern Territory.

As reported by Brig. Gen. Simon Doran, Commander of the MCWL, these tests “would take place around Australia over the next several years in conjunction with the Australian Army.” The SLV is a perfect test-table for the new littoral warfare manoeuvre having the possibility to operate in “shallow water” by planting its own 4 supporting “legs/feet” on the bottom of a bay, to provide stability, and projecting its 150-foot ramp (46 m) on an unprepared beach, or generally a coastline, quickly disembarking, or embarking, the Marines and their vehicles and gears.

Despite its simplicity, the use of the ship’s “feet” has required multiple tests, also for no causing environmental damage as well as considering a suitable gradient for the ramp depending on the beach conditions. In accordance with its DSR’s recommendations, also the Australian Army is expanding and accelerating its littoral warfare vessels program, known as Land 8710 project, which includes Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Medium (Phase 1), Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel - Heavy (Phase 2) and supporting facilities (Phase 5) in addition to LMV-P (Phase 3). The collaboration with the USMC SLV testing will be a significant mutual benefit for both countries’ projects.

As confirmed by Brig. Gen. Doran, the MCWL is also putting significant efforts into the Autonomous Low-Profile Vessel (ALPV), a separate 55-foot-long ship (17 m) that the Marines are experimenting with focused on covert resupply missions. A vessel born by the experience of the US Coast Guard (USCG)in fighting the Narco-Cartel organizations, a form of “narco-boat” that can carry virtually any kind of supplies and is capable of traveling autonomously for hundreds of miles.

The USMC is planning to send the ALPV to III Marine Expeditionary Force, in Japan, but it has not yet been confirmed whether this will coincide with the SLV testing in Australia.

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