Lockheed Martin has ventured into a partnership with Thales Australia to establish a new office at the government-owned, company-operated munitions facility in Mulwala.
The new facility is expected to accelerate the realisation of Australia’s guided weapons capabilities.
Tim Cahill, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said the new office follows the recently opened Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO) program office in Canberra and is expected to support the development of various manufacturing activities in Australia.
The Mulwala site is the first co-located presence for Lockheed Martin Australia, the company said in a press release.
Thales Australia currently manages the Mulwala facility and has invested significantly to equip the site with cutting-edge advanced manufacturing equipment.
“This is an important step forward to achieving the Australian Government’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance objectives,” Thales Australia’s CEO Jeff Connolly said.
“We are committed to our partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia and the development of high-performance propellants and explosives for warheads, solid fuel rocket motor manufacturing, and the associated research and development essential to achieving a sovereign guided weapons capability for the Australian Defence Force,” Connolly added.
Ken Kota, vice president of the Australia Defence Strategic Capabilities Office at Lockheed, said the company will collaborate and integrate its platforms and systems with those of other manufacturers to ensure greater capability and efficiency.
“We are actively engaging with suppliers, partners and small businesses to give them every opportunity to partner with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver world-class capability to the GWEO enterprise,” Kota said.
Lockheed Martin is slated to host two separate “Industry Days” next week to discuss its vision and role as a GWEO strategic partner to the Commonwealth and how defence industry suppliers might partner with Lockheed to realise its vision.
