Four South Australian organisations are set to receive a combined total of nearly $2 million through the latest $17.3 million round of the Australian Government’s Defence Industry Development Grants Program.

Designed to support small and medium enterprises, the program funds projects that enhance Australia’s defence manufacturing capabilities and increase export competitiveness whilst supporting local jobs and bolstering national security. The four dedicated funding streams within the program, sovereign industrial priorities, exports, security and skilling, provide support for industry across acquisition and commissioning, international accreditations, skills development and security posture implementation and maintenance.

The following south Australian recipients have secured funding under two of the dedicated steams in the latest round:

Sovereign Industrial Priorities Stream

• Fleet Space Technologies will receive almost $1 million ($999,457) to invest in advanced capital equipment to support satellite manufacture, assembly, testing and inspection.
• Aerobond Defence has been awarded $837,456 to acquire equipment and tooling for the production of guided munition canisters.

Security Stream

• Silentium Defence will receive $75,332 to enhance its physical security and data access systems to meet Defence security standards.
• The School of Information Operations (SOIO) will receive $35,501 to uplift cybersecurity controls to align with Defence security requirements.

This funding announcement builds on the 58 grants awarded in May 2025, 10 of which were secured by South Australian recipients. The investment not only highlights the government’s continued commitment to strengthening Australia’s defence industrial base but reinforces our state’s critical role in advancing sovereign defence capabilities.

The Defence Industry Development Grants remain open for a short time, providing opportunities for eligible businesses to access funding. Learn more.

—

Image: Silentium Defence team reviewing space data. Credit: Silentium Defence.