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Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price has announced the signing of a $170 million contract to continue the Vigilare air battlespace management capability system, now to be known as Wakulda.
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The $170 million contract will be part of a partnership between the Department of Defence and Boeing Defence Australia – and will create more highly-skilled jobs in Brisbane, Adelaide and Williamtown.
Wakulda fuses data from radars and other sensors to support the Royal Australian Air Force’s national air defence command and control functions.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price thanked Boeing Defence Australia for its continued support in growing a sovereign defence industry in Australia.
"Over the period of the new agreement, an average of 15 additional expert engineering positions will be established within Boeing Defence Australia in Brisbane, Adelaide and Williamtown," Minister Price said.
Wakulda will be operated by the Royal Australian Air Force at RAAF Base Williamtown in NSW and RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. It is anticipated that the system will be used for another 10 years.
The Wakulda System is a state of the art integrated ground-based air defence command and control system for the RAAF. It provides three core functions of tactical and strategic air surveillance, battlespace management, and the training of Air Combat Officers and Air Surveillance Operators.
Wakulda combines data from a range of Australian Defence Force platforms and sensors. Near real-time inputs from these assets are correlated at two Regional Operations Centres and displayed at operator consoles, providing a recognised wide area surveillance picture.
The Wakulda system supports civil and defence flight information, and weather data is also integrated to enable a fully integrated view of Australian airspace.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
