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The consortium has penned a contract with Defence to support the development of Australia’s sovereign guided weapons manufacturing capability.
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The Australian Missile Corporation (AMC) has officially joined efforts to establish Australia’s $1 billion Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise after signing a contract with Defence.
The agreement was formalised in Canberra at a signing ceremony attended by AMC CEO Lee Goddard and Major General Andrew Bottrell, head of Land Systems.
In April, the government appointed Raytheon Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia as strategic partners for the GWEO, supported by a number of Australia-based industry cooperatives, including AMC, and the Sovereign Missile Alliance (SMA) — a joint venture between Nova Systems and Electro Optic Systems (EOS).
The enterprise ecosystem aims to support Defence’s inventory of guided weapons and explosive ordnance, while also including:
- manufacturing;
- R&D;
- education and training;
- test and evaluation;
- maintenance and repair;
- storage and distribution; and
- disposal.
Reflecting on the formalisation of AMC’s partnership, Goddard said the deal marks a significant milestone for the consortium.
“Since May last year, the AMC has been preparing for what will be an exciting new era of defence capability,” he said.
“This agreement seals the AMC’s commitment to working with Defence, industry, and the other GWEO Enterprise partners to deliver the GWEO Enterprise objectives across the short, medium and long-term planning horizons.”
AMC has been actively expanding its consortium, announcing the addition of new members in recent months, which include Victoria-based manufacturer AME Systems and counter-UAS company DroneShield.
AMC now includes a total of over 300 participants from the defence, innovation, academia and government sectors.
“Since April, we have added another 30 participants to the AMC platform who are now connected and committed to the GWEO Enterprise,” Goddard added.
“This includes high-capability Australian SMEs and international companies who are at the forefront of world-leading systems and technology solutions as well as leading Australian academic institutions and several state and territory governments.
“The AMC brings a global ecosystem of experience ready to support Defence and the strategic partners on responding to the ADF’s needs.”
According to Goddard, the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the effectiveness of guided strike and defensive munitions in the modern battlespace.
“In holding back Russia’s push, Ukrainian infantry forces have made effective use of allied-supplied guided weapons, but are challenging US and European GWEO supply chains,” Goddard said.
“If there was any doubt about the importance of self-reliance, we only need to look at the conflict in eastern Europe.”
[Related: Australian Missile Corporation teams up with AME Systems]
