iscover
Saab Australia has reached a major manufacturing milestone, completing its 100th Multi Function Console for export, highlighting the growing international demand for Australian-designed naval technology and the country’s expanding role in the global defence supply chain.
Designed, engineered and manufactured at Saab Australia’s headquarters in South Australia, the Multi Function Console (MFC) provides naval operators with an integrated workstation capable of simultaneously controlling and monitoring multiple combat and mission systems during high-tempo operations.
The milestone underscores Australia’s increasing contribution to advanced naval capability, with the consoles already in service aboard Royal Australian Navy vessels and now being exported to customers across Europe and North America.
The MFC forms a key component of Saab’s broader naval combat system offering, working alongside the company’s widely deployed 9LV Combat Management System to provide operators with a single, ergonomic interface that improves situational awareness and reduces workload during complex maritime missions.
By integrating multiple combat functions into one platform, the console enables operators to process information more efficiently and make faster decisions in demanding operational environments.
The export success reflects Saab Australia’s evolution from a local systems integrator into an internationally recognised developer and manufacturer of advanced naval technologies.
Production of the consoles supports a growing sovereign manufacturing capability, with approximately 60 per cent of components sourced through Australian suppliers while the remaining elements are produced directly by Saab.
The program sustains highly skilled engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs across South Australia while strengthening domestic industrial capability in a sector increasingly recognised as strategically important.
Saab Australia managing director Andy Keough said the milestone demonstrated the company’s ability to deliver world-class naval technologies from Australia to international customers.
He said the Multi Function Console had been specifically designed to enhance operator effectiveness by reducing the physical and cognitive demands placed on sailors during complex missions while supporting the continued growth of Australia’s sovereign defence industry and export capability.
The achievement also reinforces South Australia’s position as Australia’s leading hub for naval shipbuilding and advanced defence manufacturing.
South Australian Minister for Defence Industries Chris Picton said the export milestone showcased the strength of the state’s defence innovation ecosystem and its ability to develop technologies capable of competing in global markets.
He said products such as Saab’s Multi Function Console not only generated economic activity within South Australia but also created opportunities throughout Australia’s broader defence supply chain, supporting hundreds of local businesses involved in advanced manufacturing and specialist engineering.
The continued international success of Australian-developed defence technologies also highlights growing confidence among allied navies in Australia’s ability to deliver sophisticated, mission-critical systems for modern maritime operations.
Saab is already looking beyond the current generation of consoles, with development underway on its next-generation MFC 3000 platform.
The new design is expected to build on the capabilities of the existing system through continued advances in ergonomics, modularity and systems integration, ensuring the console remains compatible with evolving combat management systems and future naval requirements.
The investment reflects Saab Australia’s ongoing focus on continuous innovation and value-based engineering as demand grows for increasingly sophisticated command-and-control solutions capable of supporting the next generation of warships.
With Australian-made combat systems now serving navies across multiple continents, the completion of the 100th export console represents more than a manufacturing milestone. It demonstrates the growing maturity of Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base and its increasing ability to deliver high-value, globally competitive technologies that strengthen both national capability and international defence partnerships.
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.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.