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Babcock Australasia has announced the expansion of its comprehensive military aviation service to meet increasing demand from the Australian Defence Force and New Zealand Defence Force.
Under the expansion, Babcock has begun pursuing a raft of operational and technical opportunities across fixed-wing, rotary-wing and unmanned aerial system platforms.
The company is expected to draw on its existing defence and civil aviation credentials to develop and deliver advanced tri-service aviation and aerospace solutions that will enhance operational effectiveness and readiness.
Focus areas for the expansion include operational support to both crewed and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) for a range of missions including Defence Search and Rescue. Scalable turnkey training solutions include tactical and advanced pilot and air crew training across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific, as well as in-service support plus maintenance, repair and overhaul to enhance asset readiness and reliability.
“Last year, the Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, Pat Conroy, listed maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade of Australian Defence Force aircraft as one of seven Sovereign Defence Industrial Priorities. Our shift into the military aviation space couldn’t be better timed to support this endeavour,” Babcock Australasia chief executive officer Andrew Cridland said.
“The combination of our existing defence experience, understanding and partnerships, and our decades of delivery and maintenance of aircraft in high tempo, high-reliability envelopments has us well positioned to support technical innovation and operational excellence across military applications, including maintaining the highest standards of safety and performance.”
To support these activities, the company is investing in research and development of aircraft systems, UAV and advanced avionics, and seeking out industry and OEM partners to create solutions that address the specific operational needs of Defence.
Babcock’s existing aviation capabilities in the region provide a strong foundation for this expansion, where it continues to make major investments in aircraft, infrastructure and training.
This includes the introduction of multiple new and additional helicopters into its fleet over the past 12 months and plans for a new multi-user hangar on Horn Island in support of current and future Torres Strait contracts.
“Defence aviation is a natural evolution of our capability in the region, combining global solutions and know-how with proven local aviation service and support credibility,” said Duncan Milne, Babcock Australasia managing director - aviation and critical services..
“Babcock recognises the critical need for reliable and sophisticated yet cost-effective solutions that can support a range of missions, from logistics to training, to surveillance, to search and rescue operations, in diverse environments.”
“One thing we do incredibly well at Babcock is collaboration – pulling together credible teams that can value-add. We are actively seeking partners for our latest ventures that can bring innovation, capability and scale to service delivery.”
“The strong contingent of Army veterans within our aviation team – including Conspicuous Service Cross recipient Susana Fernandez – who understand customer requirements, also gives us extant capability out of the gate.”
