Lockheed Martin’s research operations center in Australia is now known as Advanced Systems and Technologies. The company said the transition from the old name — STELaRLab, short for Science, Technology, Engineering Leadership and Research Laboratory — will enable the facility to better meet the Australian Defence Force’s mission objective and capability development requirements. AST advances research and...
Category: Australia
Canberra Orders 15 Additional Bushmaster PMVs From Thales Australia; Pat Conroy Quoted
Canberra has ordered an additional 15 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles worth $30 million from Thales Australia, specifically fitted for the command and control capabilities of the Australian Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. According to the government, it has already invested over $135 million in 93 Bushmasters manufactured at Thales’ facility in Bendigo, contributing to...
Australia Selects Quantum-Systems, Sypaq to Provide New Drones to ADF
The Australian Defence Force will see its drone assets expand with the Albanese government’s procurement of new lethal and nonlethal small uncrewed aerial systems worth over $67.79 million from Quantum-Systems and Sypaq Systems. Quantum-Systems was awarded two contracts to deliver Vector fixed-wing electric vertical takeoff and landing drones and provide training, maintenance, engineering, supply and...
Lockheed Awarded $300M Navy Contract Modification to Support Australia Surface Combatant Program
Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin’s rotary and mission systems business a contract modification worth $300.94 million to provide software engineering and on-site support for the Australia Surface Combatant program. Work will be performed in Moorestown, New Jersey, and Adelaide, Australia, through September 2031. The ASC initiative involves the modernization of three Hobart-class...
Australian Defence Force to Acquire Switchblade Loitering Munition; Pat Conroy Quoted
Australia expects to receive an order of Switchblade 300 precision loitering munitions in 2024 and deploy the weapon into service in 2025 to boost the Australian Defence Force’s drone warfighting capabilities. The acquisition of the munitions, manufactured by U.S. company AeroVironment, adds to the different drone types in the ADF arsenal that can be armed...
AWS to Deliver Secure Cloud Platform for Australian Defense Community; Dave Levy Quoted
Amazon Web Services is extending its expertise to the Australian government as it rolls out a more secure communications network for the nation’s defense community. On Thursday, Canberra announced that the Australian Signals Directorate has signed a strategic partnership with AWS to deliver a Top Secret Cloud platform. Under the pact, AWS will provide a...
Former US Secnav Richard Spencer to Replace John Rothwell as Austal Chairman
Richard Spencer, former U.S. secretary of the Navy, has been selected to replace John Rothwell as chairman of Perth, Australia-based Austal. Rothwell will step down on Monday after nearly four decades in the role. As Austal’s new chair, Spencer said he will build on Rothwell’s yearslong work, which enabled the company to achieve its current...
Australia Orders Two Additional Patrol Boats From Austal; Paddy Gregg Quoted
The Australian Department of Defence is expanding its maritime capability with two additional Guardian-class patrol boats from Austal Australia under a deal estimated at $26 million. Austal has already delivered 30 patrol boats, which are 39.5-meter steel-hull vessels made in Henderson, Western Australia, with the help of local supply chain partners. Of the 30 vessels...
BAE Systems Starts Building First Australian Hunter Frigate; Ben Hudson Quoted
BAE Systems Maritime Australia, which has secured the contract to build the first three Hunter class frigates for the Royal Australian Navy, started work on the task order with a steel-cutting ceremony for the initial vessel at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide, South Australia. Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and South Australia Premier...
Rocket Lab Marks 50th Electron Mission With Kineis Nanosatellite Launch
Rocket Lab has launched the Electron rocket for the 50th time. The reusable orbital-class rocket lifted off from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, on June 21 at 6:13 a.m., local time. The mission, dubbed No Time Toulouse, deployed five satellites to a 635-kilometer circular orbit for French internet of things...










