Kongsberg Defence Australia has announced their team has achieved a critical production milestone for the LAND 19 Phase 7B program, passing Factory Acceptance Tests of the first two Fire Distribution Centres (FDC) for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missiles Systems (NASAMS). As part of the program — which sees the FDCs being assembled at the Raytheon Centre for Joint Integration at Mawson Lakes — Kongsberg Defence Australia is supporting Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace and prime contractor Raytheon Australia to deliver the new Short-Range Ground-Based Air Defence capability to the Australian Army. The NASAMS system will enable the Army to ...

As the Australian defence industry prepares for the Naval Shipbuilding Plan, having a workforce that is well trained and informed is critical to defence industry capability. No matter if you are just starting out in the industry or would like to upskill and refresh your knowledge around maritime assets and systems, international engineering, science and technology consultancy BMT offers a wide range of courses for individuals taught by experts. With experience as both operators and designers of defence systems, BMT’s experts provide detailed insights into the process for design and management of warships and submarines. Keen to find out more? ...

A $1.2 million grant for Australia's defence sector has been announced by Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, this morning. The grant has been designed to support the growth and export opportunities of six Australian businesses within the industry, including two South Australian companies: JTM Gaskets and ElectroCad Australia. JTM Gaskets are set to receive $211,260 which will be put towards purchasing new equipment in order to increase production volumes. Electro Cad will receive $240,000 to install a clean room and purchase equipment allowing them to manufacture complex defence components. Read the full story here.   Image Credit: ElectroCad Australia

SA-based high speed welding technology manufacturer K-TIG is expanding its international presence thanks to a new distribution agreement with leading automation supplier Key Plant Automation to sell K-TIG products in the UK. The agreement will provide a strong platform for future growth in the UK and wider EU markets and follows a previous agreement with Key Plant’s USA subsidiary earlier this year to sell K-TIG products in North America. To support the expansion, K-TIG are set to establish a UK based direct sales force to work closely with distribution partners, and will also work with Key Plant to establish an ...

The University of South Australia has partnered with the Australian Government to offer small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) the opportunity to upskill employees with in-demand engineering capabilities at no cost. The 100% online Associate Degree in Engineering commences in late September, with course fees fully funded by the Australian Government for eligible companies. To be eligible, employers must have no more than 200 staff and demonstrate a need for engineering skills. Employers will need to nominate their employee(s) to participate in the program and employees are required to remain with the nominating employer for the duration of the two-year program. This is ...

South Australian companies Novafast and Abstec Calibrations have secured their share of $8 million in Federal Government funding to boost local defence manufacturing capability. The Adelaide businesses are among 11 innovative Australian companies to receive funding through the latest round of the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority (SICP) grants, which help build Australia’s sovereign industrial capacity to support the Australian Defence Force. Recently diversifying into the defence sector, Novafast was awarded over $1.3 million to support the creation of a new state-of-the-art production line. The factory is set to include new robotics equipment for manufacturing technologies in composite products. Novafast Business Manager David ...

South Australian-based company Silentium Defence has secured a $7.4 million contract from the Department of Defence to supply its MAVERICK M-series passive radar system to the Australian Army for capability development and evaluation activities. Silentium’s MAVERICK M-series is the first high-performance, low-power, soldier-portable, covert radar system for air defence, land, and maritime surveillance. It provides critical sovereign capability for the ADF and its allies and an undeniable advantage in the air, land, and maritime domains – the ability to see without being seen. Read the full media release here

AML3D Limited, a world leader in large scale metal 3D printing, unveiled its multimillion-dollar South Australian headquartered WAM® Technology Centre at an event for customers and industry on 9 July 2021 with the Hon David Pisoni MP, Minister for Innovation and Skills. The Company’s Australian patented WAM® (Wire Additive Manufacturing) technology disrupts current metal making processes such as cast, forged and billet machining to such an extent that customers in the defence, automotive, resources and maritime industries benefit from reductions in lead times that span weeks and months. Despite quadrupling in size to more than 30 staff over the past ...

Two industry leaders, BFBS and IPACS, are joining forces with the aim to provide the best TV, sport and music to the Australian armed forces using BFBS’ MiPlayer platform. Already in use with the UK Ministry of Defence, both on land and at sea the MiPlayer platform offers access via WiFi to media streaming of recreational and training content in remote locations where internet connectivity is poor or absent. Read the full story