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Chief Executive of Defence SA Matt Opie accompanied South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas on a recent trip to the US. With the trilateral AUKUS partnership at the forefront of both US and Australian defence industry capability planning, the visit looked to strengthen ties between the US and South Australia. As the home of the SSN-AUKUS build at the Osborne Naval Shipyard, key discussions with US counterparts provided deeper insights into the workforce and skills required for South Australia to deliver the SSN-AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines, while affirming the many opportunities that exist through the AUKUS supply chain. Mr Opie said that ...

Construction has commenced on the first Hunter Class Frigate at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide. The momentous occasion was marked by the cutting of the first piece of steel by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas on 21 June. The announcement underpins the Australian Government’s commitment to continuous naval shipbuilding in South Australia and the promise to enhance Navy’s undersea warfare and strike capability. The construction phase contract for the first three Hunter Class Frigates was signed by Defence and BAE Systems Australia, with the first warship earmarked for operation in 2034. Construction ...

Adelaide’s world-class innovation district, Lot Fourteen has welcomed engineering, construction and project management company Bechtel as tenants. Working alongside other high calibre companies based at Lot Fourteen, Bechtel brings over a century’s worth of experience in energy, infrastructure, manufacturing & technology, mining and metals, nuclear, security and environmental markets. Lot Fourteen State Project Lead, Di Dixon reinforced the importance of presence of companies like Bechtel to help achieve South Australia’s ambitions. “Bechtel’s arrival at Lot Fourteen is another step towards building our state’s capabilities required to meet future infrastructure needs,” said Ms Dixon. With a vast range of exciting opportunities ...

South Australian manufacturers REDARC Defence & Space, entX and AML3D have been awarded financial assistance of more than $4 million to support key defence projects through the Economic Recovery Fund (ERF). The State Government fund was established in 2023 to boost the state’s economy and to help local businesses and industry in key areas to grow secure, well-paid jobs, improve productivity, increase exports and support innovative, value adding technologies. Aimed at the priority areas of Manufacturing Innovation and Regional Tourism Infrastructure Development, Round 1 of the ERF saw nearly 300 applications across both streams. The State Government allocated $14.8 million ...

The Australian Government has selected Adelaide-based KBR and joint venture between AECOM and Aurecon as concept design partners for South Australia’s Nuclear-Powered Submarine Construction Yard (NPSCY) at Osborne. Together, the selected design teams will draw on the experience of nuclear infrastructure specialists and personnel who have worked on previous shipyard infrastructure projects at Osborne, Henderson and in AUKUS partner nations. KBR will be responsible for designing the steel processing and fabrication facilities at the shipyard, while AECOM and Aurecon will deliver the concept design for the remainder of the site that will be used to support the outfitting, consolidation and ...

Locked Shields continues to garner praise as the largest and most complex live-fire cyber defence exercise in the world. Spearheaded by NATO, this year’s exercise saw 3,000 participants from 40 nations defending virtual models of national IT systems and critical infrastructure from real-time attacks. Immersed in simulated, real-world scenarios, teams deploy critical thinking to navigate complex cyber incidents, demonstrating the real power of cooperative defence. South Australia led the charge out of the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C) at Lot Fourteen, harnessing the strengths and smarts of top cyber security talent from around the country. For the first-time ever, Australia ...

Bombardier Defense has joined the list of distinguished companies who now call South Australia home. The company selected Lot Fourteen as its Adelaide location of choice, ensuring access to one of the state’s leading collaborative research and business ecosystems. The new office was officially opened by Minister for Defence and Space Industries Stephen Mullighan on 20 May 2024. “We’re excited to welcome Bombardier Defense as the latest company to expand its presence in South Australia, driven by the boundless opportunities our state has to offer,” said Minister Mullighan. “Their presence is also a testament to the growing opportunities for defence ...

The South Australian Government has further cemented its commitment to supporting local industry to benefit from the AUKUS Trilateral Partnership through the signing of an agreement with the largest shipbuilder in the United States of America (USA), HII. The Premier formalised the agreement during a tour of HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division in Virginia, USA, where the defence giant builds Virginia Class submarines. The program will connect the South Australian Government to HII's Supplier Capability Upliftment Program, enabling local suppliers to participate in the nuclear-powered conventionally armed submarine supply chain in the USA and positioning them for the SSN-AUKUS submarines to be built at ...

South Australia and the US continue to forge closer ties through the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Annapolis, Maryland on 16 May 2024. The MoU, signed by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and the Governor of the State of Maryland, Wes Moore aims to enhance skills capability and workforce development ahead of the construction of the SSN-AUKUS submarines. South Australia and Maryland are both highly regarded national leaders in the defence, space and cyber industries, with mutual interest in the success of AUKUS. Maryland is home to 15of the world’s top 20 aerospace and defence companies ...

The success of the Hunter class frigate program remains firmly in focus with the announcement of a new ‘Connected Supplier’ project set to bolster shipbuilding capability. Established by BAE Systems Maritime Australia the project has enlisted six trusted SME suppliers to the Hunter class program to improve digital literacy and explore technology for better business performance. Adelaide-based MyModular, Century Engineering, MG Engineering, Novafast International, Axiom and Hobart-based CBG Systems have each been selected, undertaking  workshops, site visits, one-on-one meetings and defence and cyber security briefings at BAE Systems’ Line Zero – Factory of the Future Facility at the Tonsley Innovation ...

From 2026, Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen innovation precinct will become home to the Australian Defence Technologies Academy – a cutting-edge facility providing digital training, education and research capabilities to the defence industry, while aligning to other sectors such as space and cyber. The Academy aims to develop defence capabilities, drive sovereign research and strengthen skills in South Australia. The announcement is underpinned by a $60 million joint investment from the federal and South Australian governments. “My government is not hesitating in rapidly skilling-up the next generation to deliver the most complex machines that have been built in human history,” said South ...

Consultancy firm Coras has established a strong local presence since touching down at South Australia’s Defence and Space Landing Pad in 2022. The South Australian team which started as four employees, has now grown to six, and forms part of a broader workforce of 65 staff based in Sydney and Canberra. Described as a ‘management consultancy with a difference’, Coras’ roots in the Defence industry run deep. The company was founded in 2015 by three Navy veterans and its multi-generational workforce ranges from former veterans (40%) to young, emerging talent. When it came time to expand, Coras set its sights ...