Defence awards $500 million battle management contract

The federal government has signed a $500 million contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver the next phase of the Joint Air Battle Management System that synchronises air and missile defence operations across air, sea and land operations.

LMA was named in October as the strategic partner to deliver the project, known as AIR6500, which connects disparate Australian Defence Force sensor systems and platforms.

The project is expected to generate at least 230 jobs directly related to its operation and 300 indirect jobs in Australia’s air and missile defence supply chain, opening up export opportunities into global defence supply chains.

To deliver this project, Lockheed Martin Australia will partner with companies including Boeing Defence Australia, C4i, Leidos Australia, Lucid Consulting Australia, Raytheon Australia, Shoal Group, and Silentium Defence.

Project AIR6500 will also deliver four advanced air-defence radars, manufactured by Canberra-based CEA Technologies, with the first delivery scheduled this year.

The Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said: “The…government is actively creating opportunities for Australian industry, through the entire supply chain of small-and-medium enterprises, as we deliver these critical defence capabilities.

“This is an investment in our national security but also an investment in a future made in Australia which will support local businesses and create hundreds of jobs and support many more.”

This next phase of the Joint Air Battle Management System will deliver the core command-and-control architecture for integrated air and missile defence, providing greater situational awareness of advanced air and missile threats, and increased interoperability with international partners.

It will deliver improved network architecture, next-generation deployable air-battle management systems and initial integration with priority platforms, such as major combatant ships and F-35A Lightning II aircraft.​

The Defence Strategic Review outlined an enhanced, all-domain integrated air and missile defence capability as critical to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Further reading:
Lockheed Martin chosen for air defence system

Picture: Lockheed Martin Australia