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Northrop Grumman has announced a $50 million investment in western Sydney with its plans to establish an advanced defence electronics maintenance and sustainment centre.
The company said, over the coming decades, Australia will require defence solutions that are more sophisticated and increasingly reliant upon complex electronic systems. Northrop Grumman’s investment will establish an Electronic Sustainment Centre of Excellence (ESCE) to support this effort and sustain mission-readiness capabilities within the Commonwealth.
"Northrop Grumman is deeply committed to Australia. This investment in a new centre of excellence is the next step in our partnership with the Australian Defence Force, helping to ensure regional security and mission success," said Ian Irving, chief executive, Northrop Grumman Australia.
"We are excited to enable the Commonwealth to sustain these next-generation capabilities locally."
The new centre will support advanced electronics such as communications equipment, electronic warfare equipment and targeting pods.
The US firm said it will help to sustain the advanced capabilities of the ADF in country by bringing together highly skilled technicians, engineers and other professionals whose work will be further supported by the company’s high-end technology and software expertise.
"Northrop Grumman’s solid understanding of the maintenance and sustainment needs of the ADF is a result of decades of logistics know-how and successful partnerships on multiple programs," Irving said.
"Our extensive engineering and systems design capabilities uniquely position us to provide a comprehensive, full lifecycle approach to manned and autonomous platform and system management for the country. This is a natural extension to Northrop Grumman’s ongoing investment in Australian industry and local academia."
Northrop Grumman said it is advancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related initiatives throughout Australia with an eye towards future workforce needs.
At the moment, Northrop’s strategic partnerships include scholarship programs with Dickson College, Sydney University and the American Australian Association, as well as collaborative research with the ADF Academy/University of New South Wales and the University of Adelaide. Northrop Grumman also supports indigenous and regional education initiatives through activities such as Space Camp and the Northrop Grumman Regional Scholarships to the Australian National University.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian welcomed the investment, in the hopes it will generate new jobs in Sydney's western suburbs.
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