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US aerospace company Lockheed Martin has officially opened a new office in the Commonwealth-owned, company-operated munitions facility at Mulwala.
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Lockheed Martin Australia has an existing teaming agreement from 2021 with current Commonwealth-owned facility manager Thales Australia.
Thales Australia chief executive Jeff Connolly said this was an important step forward to achieving the Australian government’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) objectives.
“We are committed to our partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia and the development of high-performance propellants and explosives for warheads, solid fuel rocket motor manufacturing, and the associated research and development essential to achieving a sovereign guided weapons capability for the Australian Defence Force.”
Lockheed Martin will host two separate “Industry Days” to share its vision and role as a GWEO strategic partner in the next few weeks.
Lockheed Martin executive vice-president, missiles, and fire control, Tim Cahill said the office is hoped to accelerate guided weapons capabilities in Australia.
“Lockheed Martin is expanding, we recently opened a dedicated Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance enterprise program office in Canberra, and today, in partnership with Thales Australia, we have added a new office in Mulwala to support the development and production of various manufacturing activities in Australia,” he said.
Lockheed Martin vice-president of operations, missiles and fire control Pat Sunderlin said the Mulwala site is the first co-located presence for Lockheed Martin Australia.
“Lockheed Martin, together with our industry and defence partners are paving the way for the accelerated development and production of guided weapons capabilities,” he said.
Ken Kota, vice-president of the Australia Defence Strategic Capabilities Office at Lockheed Martin, missiles and fire control, is positive about the future enterprise.
“We are working to accelerate the connectivity of our platforms at Lockheed Martin, with a view to encompassing the greater defence ecosystem,” he said.
“We will collaborate to tie together our platforms and systems with those of other manufacturers, across generations. This ‘network effect’ for our partners will provide greater returns in capability and efficiency than any individual system could on its own.
“We are actively engaging with suppliers, partners, and small businesses to give them every opportunity to partner with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver world-class capability to the GWEO enterprise.”
