The federal government has continued a run of announcements of major defence acquisitions, selecting a design by Damen Shipyards Group as the preferred option for the Australian Defence Force’s Landing Craft Heavy vessel (pictured). The announcement is a step in the establishment of a littoral fleet which is expected to create 1,100 direct jobs and…
Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States have reached an agreement to accelerate the testing of hypersonic vehicles and related technologies. Under AUKUS Pillar II, the Hypersonic Flight Test and Experimentation (HyFliTE) Project Arrangement (PA) will enable the three nations to accelerate development of what could ultimately become high speed weapons delivery systems. Pentagon…
The federal government has invested $60 million in quantum and counter disinformation technologies critical to defence and to a future made in Australia. The Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Emerging and Disruptive Technologies (EDT) programme has signed 21 contracts with Australian universities and industry partners. The investment was made under the National Defence Strategy and…
The Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance (Manufacturing Alliance) has launched a national project to meet the growing demand for skilled workers in defence manufacturing, including submarine manufacturing now underway. The move follows Wednesday’s announcement of the start of the industrial campaign which will ultimately see BAE Systems and ASC construct SSN-AUKUS nuclear powered submarines at the…
The Department of Defence has released an Innovation, Science and Technology (IS&T) strategy, aimed at leveraging Australia’s scientific capability in defence. Accelerating Asymmetric Advantage – Delivering More, Together is Defence’s 10-year vision for the Defence IS&T ecosystem. Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro said: “This vision integrates and aligns the Defence IS&T ecosystem to meet…
The federal government will contribute up to $850 million in partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia to manufacture and service missiles at Williamtown near Newcastle. The project, which involves construction of a factory in the Newcastle Airport precinct employing 100, is expected to generate almost $100 million in economic benefits to the local area. The factory…
The Department of Defence has launched a Defence Digital Engineering Strategy to transform how it works with businesses and speed up capability acquisition and address operational gaps. The strategy is a key outcome of the Defence Industry Development Strategy and 2024 National Defence Strategy, which identified the need for Defence to accelerate digital technologies. According…
