AUSTAL'S EXPEDITIONARY FAST TRANSPORT 10 (EPF-10) COMPLETES ACCEPTANCE TRIALS

Austal Limited (ASX: ASB) today announced that the future USNS Burlington, Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF 10) successfully completed acceptance trials last week in the Gulf of Mexico.

The completion of acceptance trials is the last major milestone required for the vessel to be delivered and commissioned into service. The trial involves the execution of intensive and comprehensive tests by the Austal - led industry team to demonstrate operation of the ship’s major systems and equipment.

“Austal USA is operating with a remarkable level of success and efficiency across both the EPF and LCS Programs. EPF 10’s successful acceptance trial follows that of LCS 18 a week ago. The ability of our Austal USA team to roll out these programs so reliably for the U.S. Navy is a credit to the highly talented and dedicated team in Mobile,” Austal CEO, David Singleton said.

The EPF is a 103 metre (337 foot) high-speed, shallow draft catamaran, designed for rapid intra-theater transportation of troops and cargo. Reaching rapid speeds of 35-45+ knots allows the EPF to be used for rapid transit and deployment of conventional and special-forces with their equipment and supplies, making it an ideal platform for utilisation in emergency humanitarian disaster relief. EPF 10, Burlington is slated for delivery to the U.S. Navy later this year and will be the tenth ship to join the Spearhead class fleet. EPF 11 and 12 are both in various stages of production. Austal’s 12 ship EPF contract is valued at over A$2.5 billion.

- ENDS -

Austal Media Contact:

Contact:             Gemma Whiting - Government Relations

Mobile:              +61 (0)408 982 727

Email:                gemma.whiting@austal.com