SPOTLIGHT: Building Australia’s guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise, with Ken Kota and James Heading

Joint-capabilities
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By: Robyn Tongol

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Ken Kota, vice-president, and James Heading, director of programs, Australian Defence Strategic Capabilities Office, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, join host Liam Garman to unpack the company’s role in building Australia’s sovereign missile capability.

In this episode of the Defence Connect Spotlight podcast, Ken Kota, vice-president, and James Heading, director of programs, Australian Defence Strategic Capabilities Office, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, join host Liam Garman to unpack the company’s role in building Australia’s sovereign missile capability.

  

  

  • The trio begin the podcast discussing why it is fundamental for Australia to develop a sovereign missile capability, and the company’s role in building Australian expertise in this field through the Australian Defence Strategic Capabilities Office.
  • Kota and Heading then explain how the company’s guided weapons solutions, including the HIMARS, have been so successful on the modern battlefield.
  • The podcast wraps up unpacking how a sovereign missile capability fits into the company’s broader joint all domain operations offering, and how Australian SMEs can play a part in this supply chain.

Editor’s note: This podcast was recorded prior to the Commonwealth confirming the acquisition of HIMARS in January.

Enjoy the podcast,
The Defence Connect team

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Listen to previous episodes of the Defence Connect podcast:

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Episode 10: PODCAST: Australia’s munitions manufacturing push at Land Forces 2026, with NIOA Group’s Robert Nioa
Episode 9: PODCAST: EOS showcases new interceptor and layered drone defence at Land Forces 2026, with Lee Kormany
Episode 8: CONTESTED GROUND: The information advantage – how AI is reshaping influence, competition and power
Episode 7: PODCAST: Next-generation equipment at Land Forces 2026, with Aquaterro’s Graeme Bulte
Episode 6: SPOTLIGHT: Defence electronics supply chains, counterfeit components and shortages
Episode 5: PODCAST: AUKUS, China and Australia’s defence industrial future, with former prime minister Scott Morrison
Episode 4: CONTESTED GROUND: When AI goes rogue – the emerging threat Australia isn’t ready for
Episode 3: PODCAST: Frontier AI, cyber warfare, and defending Australia’s military networks, with Wendi Whitmore and Tom Scully
Episode 2: PODCAST: Australia’s 2026 Intergenerational Report and national security implications, with Phillip Tarrant and Robert Dougherty