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Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery Pat Conroy has announced the government will make a series of investments totalling up to $80 million to support the development of key subsystems as part of a sovereign Australian guided weapons manufacturing capability.
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The first investment will see $22 million invested as part of the government’s request for information from industry to establish a manufacturing complex that will enable the production of rocket motors for some of the world’s most advanced missiles in Australia, in support of the $21 billion Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.
This initiative is underpinned by the Albanese government’s Future Made in Australia agenda, which will improve the resilience of supply chains, providing for greater strategic sovereignty, enhance export opportunities, while delivering broad economic and employment benefits, particularly in regional Australia.
Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy welcomed this investment saying, "Today’s announcement represents a leap forward for the Australian defence industry and continues to deliver on the Albanese Government’s commitment to providing the ADF with the capabilities it needs to make Australians safer and safeguard our national interests."
Rocket motors are a critical component of missiles and required for most guided weapons, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) missiles which, under the Albanese government, will be made in Australia from next year.
The government expects that the rocket motor complex will begin production by the end of the decade.
"This is another investment in a future made in Australia and the more than 100,000 Australians, including in regional Australia, that are benefiting from the Government’s commitment to grow our sovereign defence industry and sovereign industrial base," Minister Conroy said.
In addition to this, the Albanese government is also investing up to $60 million over the next five years to develop the next generation of guided weapons subsystems and components, such as hypersonic and long-range strike.
This will enable partnerships between industry and Defence and allow the next generation of guided weapons technologies to enter the supply chain of GWEO strategic partners.
Minister Conroy added, "This program is an endorsement of Australian ingenuity. Making solid rocket motors in Australia will build on Australia’s proud history as a manufacturing nation and contribute to a future made in Australia."
In support of this, the up to $60 million investment will also deliver industry-manufactured prototypes of the critical seeker, fuse and warhead subsystems and aligns with the work being done as part of the Advanced Rocket Motor Technology Demonstrator program, which has leveraged collaboration from Five Eyes science and technology partners.
The rocket motor program and Advanced Rocket Motor Technology Demonstrator program are key to enhancing Australia’s national security. They are part of the Albanese government’s ongoing commitment to delivering on the 2024 National Defence Strategy’s recommendation to invest in and uplift Australia’s domestic manufacturing capability.
More to come.
