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Newcastle Airport’s chief executive has said the business is “wholly supportive” of Lockheed Martin’s plan to open a new R&D facility at its upcoming Williamtown Special Activation Precinct.
Dr Peter Cock said the organisation was “incredibly excited” and that the announcement was a testament to long-standing efforts to support defence primes.
Lockheed announced this month it would invest $74 million in a new initiative to encourage the industry to collaborate and research new technologies that can detect incoming missile threats.
The national integrated air and missile defence (IAMD) ecosystem could include a physical site at RAAF Base Williamtown and will proceed even if the prime’s bid to win AIR6500 isn’t successful.
“The establishment of the newest Lockheed Martin Australia facility will not only play an important role in our region’s growth, but also enable the airport to continue to deliver on its promise to the community with the continued growth of Astra Aerolab, our 116Ha aerospace and defence focussed development,” said Dr Cock.
“Williamtown and the Greater Hunter Region [are] proudly home to a vibrant defence industry ecosystem, and Astra Aerolab — located in the heart of the SAP — is being purpose-built to meet the specialised requirements of the defence industry and their people.
“The proposed location of the facility will further establish Astra Aerolab and Williamtown as the state’s premier location for defence, aerospace and innovation.
“We look forward to engaging with Lockheed Martin Australia to help bring this project to fruition, and working together with them to help grow capabilities that will benefit our region for years to come.”
AIR6500 is the name for the government’s $2.7 billion project to revolutionise the RAAF’s ability to monitor missile threats.
Lockheed is competing against rival Northrop Grumman, and the pair have already seen off Boeing and Raytheon in the first phase of the evaluation process with a final decision due late next year.
The prime’s new investment would focus on two primary areas: a national IAMD centre serving as a physical hub and an R&D pipeline to facilitate sovereign innovation through small and medium-sized enterprises and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities.
This would include supporting real-time feedback from warfighters, allowing Australian industry to develop solutions in response to changing requirements.
The initiative also seeks to “unlock powerful decision advantages” by leveraging advanced tools that “optimise tactics, investments and trade-offs”.
This would purportedly allow the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to “try before it buys” new capabilities.
Warren McDonald, chief executive, Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, said the country is well placed to play a leading role in developing IAMD capability to defend against rapidly evolving threats.
“IAMD is a mission that spans all services and requires a high degree of integration to be effective,” he said.
“It is bigger than any one project, and the ecosystem is a mechanism that will provide the enduring aspect of Australian Industry Capability that is so often elusive.”
