The Australian Government announced an investment in a sovereign rocket motor program aimed at bolstering national security and creating high-skilled jobs in the advanced manufacturing sector.
This initiative is designed to enhance Australia’s missile production capabilities, ensuring that the country can manufacture some of the world’s most advanced guided weapons, the government stated in a media release.
As part of the program, the government is actively seeking industry partners to help establish a manufacturing complex for rocket motors, a critical component for guided weapons.
With an initial $22 million investment over the next three years, this project is expected to strengthen Australia’s high-tech manufacturing sector and improve the long-range strike capabilities of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
“This is another investment in a future made in Australia and the more than 100,000 Australians, including in regional Australia, that are benefiting from the Government’s commitment to grow our sovereign defence industry,” said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.
Rocket motors, essential for missiles such as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), will soon be made domestically.
In particular, the manufacturing complex for these motors is expected to begin production by the end of the decade.
“This program is an endorsement of Australian ingenuity. Making solid rocket motors in Australia will build on Australia’s proud history as a manufacturing nation and contribute to a future made in Australia,” Conroy added.
According to the government, this initiative aligns with its “Future Made in Australia” agenda, which focuses on boosting the resilience of supply chains, increasing strategic sovereignty, and creating broader economic benefits, particularly in regional areas.
The project also opens doors for Australian manufacturers to tap into export opportunities and participate in global defence markets.
“[This] announcement represents a leap forward for the Australian defence industry and continues to deliver on the Albanese Government’s commitment to providing the ADF with the capabilities it needs to make Australians safer and safeguard our national interests,,” said Conroy.
In addition to the rocket motor program, the government will invest up to $60 million over the next five years to develop next-generation guided weapon sub-systems, including technologies for hypersonic and long-range strike capabilities.
The rocket motor initiative is part of the broader Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, backed by up to $21 billion in funding over the next decade.
It also aligns with the Advanced Rocket Motor Technology Demonstrator program, which has benefited from collaboration with international science and technology partners.
