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Australia has begun manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), being the first facility outside the United States to produce the missile system.
South Australia has opened a new defence manufacturing facility in Port Wakefield to strengthen sovereign manufacturing and decrease the reliance on international supply chains for advanced defence capabilities.
The first lot of GMLRS is set to be delivered later this month.
Guided Weapons Production Director-General, Brigadier Jim Hunter, has emphasised how this move represents a national push towards self-sufficient manufacturing capabilities.
“In the past, we’ve largely bought our weapons off the shelf, with orders taking years to arrive,” he said.
“By having the capacity for the domestic manufacture of these weapons, Australia will have increased its resilience and ability to hold adversaries at risk, thus enabling the deterrence effects that underpin the National Defence Strategy.”
The GMLRS is the main weapon used in the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, which has a range of 70 kilometres and features course correction precision.
Defence said plans are in place to independently manufacture more advanced weapons, such as the Precision Strike Missiles, which have a range of over 1,000 kilometres.
Current production of the GMLRS involves importing parts from the US, yet local manufacturing of components is likely to occur, according to Defence.
With Australia now the first country outside the US to manufacture the GMLRS, local industry partners are set to be placed in a greater position for growth.
“We have programs engaging with Australian industry to start building the parts, so that we get to a point where we could manufacture guided weapons from tip to tail,” said BRIG Hunter.
This new achievement is part of the federal government’s 10-year, $21 billion investment into weapons production under the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance enterprise.
