Birdon  designed and built 24 Bridge Erection Propulsion Boats (BEPBs) for the Australian Army, to replace the existing fleet of Bridge Erection Boats (BEB) under contract to the Defence Material Organisation (DMO). The $16 million contract included integrated logistic support, technical documentation and initial in-service training.

The project was undertaken in three key stages:

• Stage 1
  Initial design phase and the development of a prototype vessel
• Stage 2
  Engineering and fabrication of twenty-four (24) vessels
• Stage 3
  Three-year warranty and maintenance support for the vessels located in Darwin, Townsville, Sydney and Brisbane.

In 2016/2017, Birdon provided Life of Type Extensions (LOTE) services for the BEPBs, re-powering and refitting each boat with Birdon-owned NAMJet water jets for improved control at slow speeds, and overall performance.