Login
iscover
Elbit Systems of Australia and Intellidesign have partnered for Australian production of the next-generation Enhanced Tactical Computer Mark 7 (ETC MK7) for the Australian Defence Force.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
In a significant win for Australia’s burgeoning defence industry, the ETC MK7 will be assembled in south-east Queensland. This deal has resulted in a significant increase in the Australian Industry Content, essentially doubling the number of units to be assembled in Queensland.
This has been made possible by an upgrade and additional investment in Elbit’s Brisbane facility to support the ETC MK7 delivery.
Paul McLachlan, the managing director of Elbit Systems of Australia, was pleased to announce the partnership, “We are very pleased to announce this collaboration with Intellidesign, a fantastic Australian company. The team at Intellidesign are extremely impressive, and we are looking forward to benefiting from their extensive experience in manufacturing, design, quality and innovation.”
The ETC MK7 is the seventh generation of Elbit Systems’ Enhanced Tactical Computer and will replace the Enhanced Tactical Computer Mark 4 (ETC MK4), in service with the Australian Army since 2010.
The next-generation ETC MK7 builds on Elbit’s extensive experience in ruggedised hardware design and contains enhancements to meet the needs and unique requirements of the Australian Defence Force.
The ETC MK7 delivers more computing power, high-resolution capacitive touchscreen and buttons for compatibility with the Australian Generic Vehicle Architecture Standard interface. The ETC MK7 is future-proof and is capable of supporting Elbit’s next generation of digital command and control systems.
Matt Bromwich, CEO of Intellidesign, welcomed the collaboration and the opportunity it presented for Australian industry, saying, “We are very pleased to be awarded the contract to support Elbit Systems of Australia with the manufacturing of their Enhanced Tactical Computer Mark 7 for the Australian Army.
“We see this as the start of a long-term relationship supporting Elbit with our electronic design and manufacturing capabilities. With our recent achievement in passing stage 1 in AS9100 certification and relationships with primes such as Elbit strongly positions us to service both the domestic and global defence markets,” Bromwich added.
The Elbit and Intellidesign partnership showcases Elbit’s commitment to collaborating with local partners and investing in transitioning work to Australia to improve the resilience of local supply chains. The contract is a continuation of Elbit’s experience and tradition in transfer of technology over the past decade, creating engineering jobs in Australia and generating local IP and innovation.
McLachlan added, “We see this as the first step in a long-term strategic partnership with Intellidesign and local industry partners. We believe we have many other next-generation systems that can be provided to the Australian Defence Force and manufactured locally. We want to continue our demonstrated commitment to technology transfer and deliver as a true sovereign capability in both hardware and software.”
The ETC MK7 will be rolled out to hundreds of platforms in the ADF fleet, including Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles, G-Wagons, M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers and the Landing Helicopter Dock Landing Craft.
Production of the ETC MK7 will commence in late 2020 and will continue until 2022.
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.
