Defence contractor QinetiQ has revealed it has won a $13 million directed energy laser weapon development contract in Australia. Revealed in the UK Group’s third quarter trading update, the three-year contract will see its Australian arm ‘develop and manufacture a high energy defensive laser weapon system prototype, to establish a sovereign in-country High Energy Laser…
Today our Australia’s place in the semiconductor world series looks at ways Australia can address its precarious dependence on overseas chip suppliers, and the role of defence in this. There is no time to waste, argues Martin Hamilton-Smith. In March 2023 the Albanese government’s Defence Strategic Review will be handed down by Sir Angus Houston…
The Babcock Australasia-owned NSM (Australia) has been awarded a five-year contract initially worth $32 million for maintenance at Defence’s new Regional Maintenance Centre West at Henderson, Western Australia, following a competitive tender process. RMCW is scheduled to be fully-operational in the third quarter of next year, initially supporting sustainment of the Arafura class offshore patrol…
Victoria aims for 95 percent green power by 2035 The Victorian government will restart the former state-owned State Electricity Commission as a 51 per cent owned public enterprise if re-elected, reversing privatisation. The plan is for the new SEC to create 4.5 gigawatts of power to replace lost capacity when Loy Yang A coal-fired power…
VEEM works to develop specialist police vessel Perth marine engineering company VEEM is working closely with Global Marine Design and Fine Entry Marine to deliver an innovative 23.9m aluminium offshore patrol vessel for Tasmania Police (pictured). In a first for policing vessels within Australia, a VEEM Marine VG52SD gyrostabiliser will be installed to provide a…
Saab Australia has drawn on its experience developing the Saab Combat Management System for the Royal Australian Navy and SME partners to design, and manufacture a new version of its Multi Function Console (MFC, pictured). Aimed at domestic and export markets, the MFC is billed as the keystone hardware solution enabling the operation and management…
Bidders are lining up to bid for contracts to to build the defence force’s next generation amphibious vessel. At the Indo Pacific Maritime Expo in Sydney Navantia Australia and CIMIC Group company UGL launched a partnership to jointly bid for the Australian Army’s LCM-8 replacement project, LAND 8710-1 Littoral Manoeuvre Vessel Medium (LMV-M). Earlier this…
Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing looks at collaborative R&D on tougher shipbuilding steel in Australia.
Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing turns to the Hunter class frigate programme. In an exclusive interview with Peter Roberts, BAE Systems Maritime Australia’s Craig Lockhart reveals the company has made up 12 months of early delays in constructing Hunter class frigates in Adelaide. He also refutes suggestions the anti-submarine frigates will be…
The federal government has backtracked on a promise by former minister Christopher Pyne to build an offshore supply vessel in Perth for use in Pacific operations and has instead bought a second hand vessel from Canada. The decision to buy the Horizon Star from Horizon Maritime of St Johns, Newfoundland and rename it Australian Defence…
