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Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales Australia announced the signing of a teaming agreement to manufacture solid rocket motors and other components for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS).
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The solid rocket motors will be produced for the Australian market in support of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, which was established based on advice from the Defence Strategic Review in May 2023.
The pair will now begin assessing future collaboration on designing, developing, and eventually producing a range of subcomponents of the rocket system.
“Lockheed Martin is already a world leader in missile systems and subsystems, and partnerships with experienced, world-class companies like Thales advance our ability to enable the achievement of the Australian government’s objectives under the GWEO Enterprise,” Warren McDonald, chief executive Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.
Jeff Connolly, chief executive officer of Thales Australia, said the teaming agreement is “AUKUS in action”.
“Close collaboration with industry leaders like Lockheed Martin is essential for Australia to domestically manufacture weapon subsections and components, which was identified as a priority in the 2024 Defence Industry Development Strategy,” Connolly said.
“Thales’ partnership with Lockheed Martin is an important step in developing options for Commonwealth consideration toward an accelerated sovereign GMLRS capability for the Australian Defence Force.”
This 2024 teaming agreement is based on a similar agreement between Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales Australia in 2021, which was focused on the production and development of Lockheed Martin’s Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile – Surface Launch variant.
