Defence contract onshores fuel refining

The federal government has moved to utilise defence contracts to support Australia’s oil refining industry through a new, onshoring domestic oil refining contract. The Australian company Viva Energy Refining has been awarded a $450 million per year contract, subject to market fluctuations, for an initial six years which may be extended to 12 years. The…

Major change to defence trades training

Thousands of sailors, soldiers and aviators will be trained in technical trades under a five-year $300 million contract with Wodonga TAFE. More than 100 accredited and non-accredited courses will be delivered for the construction, engineering, mechanical, electrical and electronics trades, which will benefit over 2,000 students per year. The new contract will also enable thousands…

QuantX Labs to demonstrate quantum clock in space

QuantX Labs is leading a consortium of industry and academic teams in the KAIROS mission which will see a next-generation optical atomic clock launched into space. The clock, originally demonstrated at the Institute of Photonics and Advanced Sensing at the University of Adelaide, will be converted into a space-ready payload, thanks to new investment from…

BAE Systems buys antenna and communications SME

BAE Systems Australia has purchased Radio Frequency Systems (Australia), taking control of a key partner in the modernisation of Australia’s Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN, pictured) and other critical defence projects. The decision to buy the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Radio Frequency Systems (Germany), came as that company planned to move out of…

AMC and Victoria support guided weapons workforce

The Australian Missile Corporation and the Victorian government are to work together to enable a “ready and able” Victorian workforce to support Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) enterprise. Under an agreement between the parties, they intend prioritising local jobs, skills and training to accelerate Australia’s new smart munitions industry. The AMC is an…