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Australian-owned and operated Aquaterro has officially opened the Broad Arrow Forge facility, a premier ultra-high-security facility in south-eastern Melbourne, marking a critical investment in the nation’s high-quality, high-tech sovereign defence industry capability.
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The new 5,000 square metre facility will also be the new and compartmented home to Broad Arrow Forge. Broad Arrow Forge represents the armament and EO engineering, armourer, service, and secure facilities division and skillsets of the Bulte Group.
The company leverages the 25-year experience of the group in providing unique survival, protective and equipment for people, as well as armaments and ammunition; Broad Arrow Forge was spun off from the product group to better and separately support Australasian customers seeking high-level engineering services in the defence and LE sector.
Group CEO and founder, Graeme Bulte, said, “We firmly believe in the future of Australian-owned defence capability in Australia. This significant investment of many millions of dollars of our own money in specialist infrastructure and technology capability. It shows our belief in Defence and law enforcement opportunities going forward.”
The new facility includes a number of specialist defence and law enforcement-oriented features, including:
- Around 5,000 square metres: 100 per centAustralian owned industry investments in dedicated Defence and LE small arms and weapon storage, handling and maintenance facilities;
- Secure warehouse vault storage for small arms and prohibited items;
- Instrumented, multi-lane, indoor 100-metre shooting range for demonstration, testing and training;
- Classroom/training space;
- High level of physical and ICT security;
- Secure video teleconferencing facilities;
- In-house design workshop;
- In-house prototyping using carbon fibre, ABS, and PLA additive manufacturing (3D printing), laser cutting, and CNC router (e.g. custom weapon case inserts); and
- Technical sewing workshop for prototyping, manufacture, and repair of clothing and equipment.
Bulte explained the importance of the sovereign industry capability to Defence Connect, “All the employees are high-tech, high-skills, high-wage, high-value added positions, it is a great investment in Australia’s sovereign defence industry capability and the workforce needed to support the nation’s defence capability.”
Aquaterro, Broad Arrow Forge, and the Bulte Group is 100 per cent Australian owned – with no foreign or multi-national partners, shareholders or investors.
“A lot of the additive manufacturing supports the holistic systems integration across ADF, so what we found was computer-assisted design and additive manufacturing enabled to design and introduce the efficient integration of disparate systems, both new and legacy to support the operator,” Bulte added.
Aquaterro is the leading provider of operational, tactical and safety equipment to professional users in Australia and the Australasian region.
“We look at the soldier or police officer as the platform, whether the soldier or officer wears it or carries it, that is our space,” Bulte told Defence Connect.
Aquaterro supplies every state, territory and federal law enforcement and border protection agency in the country, and we are a key supplier to the Australian Defence Force across all services.
Aquaterro is trusted by the world’s leading manufacturers to provide support and service to its select Premium Retail Dealer Network, and to government, military and commercial end users.
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.
