Thales Australia has ventured into a partnership with US Navy Industrial partner ORBIS Sibro to advance maritime sustainment operations in support of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at Fleet Base East, Garden Island, Sydney.
The two companies will work together to further modernise and futureproof Australia’s maritime sustainment capability in support of the Australian government’s National Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Enterprise.
The US-Australia maritime sustainment partnership will focus on a range of initiatives, including technological innovation, shipyard infrastructure optimisation, as well as further development of the naval sustainment industrial base and workforce.
Thales Australia and ORBIS recently completed preliminary feasibility studies and extensive reviews of Australia’s existing naval sustainment and support operations, workforce development and optimisation, as well as upskilling and mentoring programs.
The collaboration is intended to combine two world-leading engineering and technology companies that will strengthen the naval support and maintenance ecosystem in the Indo-Pacific region, all while ensuring fleet readiness, availability, and interoperability of Australian and allied partner current and future maritime capabilities.
“This partnership will help deliver greater integration of platform and infrastructure through digitisation and automation of the maritime sustainment environment, which is necessary to increase the readiness, availability and performance of RAN fleets and assets,” said Max Kufner, vice president for Above Water Systems at Thales Australian & New Zealand.
“Leveraging the world-leading technologies available to us through our reach back into the Thales Group, as well as establishing key partnerships such as this one, will allow us to leverage the deep knowledge, experience and best practice capabilities ORBIS has in its engagement with the U.S Navy that will help the RAN shape, deter and respond,” Kufner added.
Over the past 20 years, Thales has supported the RAN and Australian commercial fleets with ship support, sustainment and lifecycle management from Fleet Base East.
The company has successfully completed over 350 military and commercial ship dockings, which employed 800 highly skilled people and trained more than 100 apprentices.
