Babcock Australasia’s new cutting-edge facility in Adelaide has seen it double the size of its local maintenance, manufacturing and repair footprint to support critical sovereign army and navy programs.

The $31 million Defence-accredited building at Woodville North, will be home to more than 100 Babcock engineers and technical experts working across nationally significant Defence programs, including; Collins Class in-service sustainment and future Life of Type Extension (LOTE) support, systems on the Hunter Class frigates, Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (C-CBRNE) asset management and future AUKUS endeavours.

The facility features a 4,000m2 custom-built manufacturing workshop and warehouse, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, along with an additional 2,000m2 of office space.

Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said the cutting-edge facility positions the company at the forefront of national defence capabilities.

“The additional space means we can scale up our sustainment output on the Collin Class fleet, deliver Life of Type Extension projects, and provide a critical pathway to AUKUS by ensuring these submarines remain operational until the first of the nuclear-powered submarines hit the water,” Mr Cridland said.

“At Babcock our mission is to create a safe and secure world together, and we can already see this facility acting as a centre of collaboration for young engineers who share that ambition and want to hone their craft in an environment that gives them opportunities to grow their careers right here in Adelaide.”

The environmentally green building, which replaces Babcock’s operations at Osborne, has been designed to expand so it can easily cater for the future needs of Australia’s submarine program, along with a broader pipeline of activities.

It also signals a significant uplift in capability for Babcock and its defence operations in South Australia, by providing additional space to engineer, assemble and test equipment under simulated conditions as well as deliver a full suite of high-quality asset management services.

This will see Babcock’s Collins Class delivery team conduct deep maintenance on several of the fleet’s key systems from the new specialist facility, along with future LOTE modernisation packages as part of its partnership with ASC.

Engineers and graduates working on the Hunter Class program, will also have hands-on opportunities to perform detailed design work and apply their STEM skills in the creation and optimisation of mechanical systems.

Effectively bringing staff from different Defence programs together on a single, open plan floorplate, the new facility will encourage knowledge sharing and the exchange of new ideas, while creating fresh avenues for career advancement.

Babcock’s new Adelaide facility will be fully operational by the end of the year.