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Building on close work between Defence and QinetiQ Australia carried out in recent months, government officials have signed off on a 10-year contract that will see 85 QinetiQ Australia staff continue to work at Defence Science and Technology Group sites across the country.
Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said that the contract will "enable QinetiQ to embed its personnel alongside Defence staff to perform critical engineering support for research programs".
“They will deliver comprehensive mechanical and electronic design and manufacturing support together with applied imaging services, enabling a wide range of DST’s research, test and trial activities," Minister Reynolds said.
“DST plays a vital role in enabling and co-ordinating support to Defence from a national science and technology enterprise, with QinetiQ becoming an important component of DST’s support ecosystem.”
The two formed a Strategic Alliance in February 2016 that looks to capitalise on the long-standing and deep partnership between both organisations and make a commitment to collaborative research and development (R&D) in areas of strategic importance to the Australian Department of Defence.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said QinetiQ was a significant industry partner for Defence, supporting a number of important programs and initiatives such as flight testing systems at Woomera Test Range.
“QinetiQ partners with small businesses right across the country to deliver high-end engineering services to Defence,” Minister Price said.
“This $100 million contract demonstrates the government’s commitment to supporting Australian defence industry and leveraging their ingenuity and expertise to deliver advanced capability for our Defence Force."
Just last month, QinetiQ announced that it had been awarded a contract to design and construct an unmanned aerial systems (UAS) flight test range (FTR) on behalf of the Queensland government.
Located at Cloncurry Aerodrome in north-west Queensland, the facility will consist of access to a commercial quality runway, dedicated hangar and workshop, and range control centre. Minister Reynolds said QinetiQ had partnered with Defence for nearly a decade, reinforcing the close relationship between Defence and industry.
