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Thales Australia and General Dynamic Ordnance and Tactical Systems have announced a new agreement between the companies to expand their munitions manufacturing capabilities.
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Thales Australia and General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (OTS) confirmed that the pair have entered into a new agreement to enhance Thales’ munitions capabilities, as part of Australia’s growing sovereign defence manufacturing and procurement strategy.
Thales confirmed that the recent agreement will form part of the company’s Strategic Domestic Munitions Manufacturing (SDMM) contract with the government, which is expected to last for a decade.
The pair have already undertaken work across a range of ordnances and munitions together, including the BLU-126, BLU-111 and 155mm M795 HE projectiles. The latter projectile was recently viewed by the US embassy during their February visit to Thales’ Mulwala and Benalla sites.
Thales Australia recently partnered with AlphaBeta Advisors to conduct an analysis on the defence market in Australia, and found that the industry employs thousands of workers throughout Australia – with Thales Australia specifically investing $522 million to 1,362 Australian companies in 2019 collaborative projects, 70 per cent of which were SMEs.
The agreement comes following the recent announcement by Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales Australia for the production of the Lockheed Martin Long Range Anti-Ship Missile - Surface Launch (LRASM SL) variant.
Regarding the agreement with Lockheed Martin, chief executive of Thales Australia Chris Jenkins outlined that it demonstrated the company's ongoing support for Australia's defence industry.
“High performance propellants and explosives for warheads, solid fuel rocket motor manufacturing and associated R&D and support services delivered by Thales Australia are essential to achieve sovereign guided weapons capability and we are looking forward to working with Lockheed Martin in support of the Australian Defence Force’s objectives,” Jenkins said.
According to a statement, Thales Australia outlined that the recent commonwealth government policies to bolster Australia’s sovereign defence manufacturing capability will create a stronger defence and manufacturing sector in Australia.
[Related: Lockheed, Thales to jointly develop local guided missile capability]
Liam Garman
Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
