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The prime has pledged to leverage new funding from the NSW government to expand its local aircraft sustainment capabilities and generate new employment opportunities in the Hunter region.
BAE Systems Australia is set to expand its Williamtown base after securing funding via the NSW government’s $250 million Jobs Plus Program.
This includes the development of an additional set of regionally focused bays at the aircraft sustainment hub, used to support the management of an F-35 South Asia-Pacific Regional Depot.
These regional bays are tipped to increase export opportunities, attracting overseas aircraft and sustainment contracts from the region.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said the investment would help build the nation’s sovereign defence capability.
“This Australian-first facility will increase the number of international aircraft that can be maintained at Williamtown and make regional NSW more competitive for future defence export opportunities,” Deputy Premier Toole said.
“The NSW government has already invested more than $16 million to develop infrastructure and skills in the Hunter region to strengthen its defence and aerospace industry, through the Astra Aerolab Defence Aviation Technology Precinct and the Williamtown Special Activation Precinct.”
The project is tipped to generate 55 maintenance and engineering jobs by 2030 and support 147 indirect jobs by 2024.
“This is a big win for highly skilled jobs in the Hunter, with STEM-focused roles making up 60 per cent of the BAE Systems workforce,” Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres added.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said the investment would further expand BAE Systems Australia’s local supply chain.
“This investment will increase the number of workers and businesses operating here in the Williamtown Special Activation Precinct, and drive benefits for the entire supply chain through enhanced networking, information exchange and skills development,” Martin said.
BAE Systems Australia CEO Gabby Costigan welcomed the support from the NSW government via the Jobs Plus program.
“The facilities developed here will be a beacon for global F-35 fleets operating within and near our region,” Costigan said.
“BAE Systems Australia will continue working with our supply chain partners in the Hunter Valley to identify and secure new opportunities that build on the solid foundation of leading-edge aircraft support we have developed over two decades at Williamtown.”
This comes just months after BAE Systems secured a US$493 million ($687 million) contract modification from Lockheed Martin to upgrade and modernise the electronic warfare (EW) system for the F-35 Lightning II.
Specifically, BAE Systems has been tasked with delivering enhanced core hardware for the F-35’s high-performance EW mission system — referred to as AN/ASQ-239 — while also providing engineering support services and test infrastructure.
The upgrades are expected to enable the fifth-generation fighter to rapidly detect and address evolving electromagnetic threats in contested battlespaces by leveraging new sensors and more powerful signal processing.
[Related: BAE Systems secures $687m global F-35 deal]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
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