The delivery of the fleet of Liebherr LTM1060-3.1 crane marks an important milestone under the Land 8120 Phase 1 contract with the Australian Department of Defence. 

The first of the vehicles arrived from Germany in August 2022 and Ventia's Support Services team have since worked closely with the Capability Acquisition & Sustainment Group (CASG) and equipment manufacturing partner Liebherr Australia to finalise the modifications to the crane to suit specific Defence requirements.  

"The Liebherr LTM1060-3.1 crane is an impressive piece of equipment," says Richard Cave, Ventia's Contract Manager. "It can travel at speeds of over 80km/h providing significant self-deployment capability. It is equipped with six-wheel drive offering off-road capability and has a rated lifting capacity of 60t (48t in Defence configuration). It offers industry leading technology, safety and lift analysis".  

To address unique Defence requirements for the stowage and transport of equipment when not fitted to the vehicle, Ventia partnered with Australian small business ECLIPS, who designed a bespoke cradle platform for the crane.  The cradle platform was fully designed and manufactured at ECLIPS's Australian facilities.  

^{Ventia and Liebherr officially "hand over the keys" to Defence. L:R. Richard Cave, Contract Manager Ventia, Andrew Esquilant, General Manager Liebherr, Lieutenant Colonel Neil Bennett, Tristan Douglas, Program Manager, Department of Defence.} 

This has been a true partnership between Liebherr, Ventia and Defence to create a modern, streamlined Engineer Support Platform capability for the Joint Force.

Andrew Esquilant from Liebherr says, "We are proud that delivery of these vehicles has been achieved despite some challenges like heightened quarantine requirements and shipping delays. The whole team's continued efforts, collaborative approach and commitment have ensured the project's success for all". 

Ventia undertook verification and validation activities with CASG staff. Partners Liebherr and QinetiQ provided specialised engineering support and Ventia's collaboration with these industry leaders lifted the capability standard for these critical assets. 

The Liebherr LTM1060-3.1 crane is one of 13 types of earth moving and materials handling vehicles, with a total of 292 vehicles being delivered under the contract.  

Introduction Into Service Training  

As part of the contract Ventia supports the introduction of the cranes into service with bespoke training courses and technical documentation for Defence personnel across sites nationally. 

The Ventia Training team conducted its first course with eight operators at the School of Military Engineering in Holsworthy NSW, in collaboration with partners and stakeholders Liebherr, the Army Logistics Training Centre (ALTC), CASG and Army Headquarters (AHQ). The team will spend 6 months across multiple national sites rolling out the training. 

This is a really cool and sophisticated new piece of kit for Defence and the operators on the courses are really loving learning about what it can do.

Ventia Training Manager Mick Irwin says "For me, I get great satisfaction in being able to deliver a piece of equipment like this for Defence because I know how it will help them be the best they can be."

^{The Ventia instructors, Mick Irwin and Scott Babington were joined by eight learners from Navy and Army, two staff from ALTC, and one staff member from AHQ.}