Air Vice-Marshal (retd) Cath Roberts AO CSC has been appointed to the Defence SA Advisory Board. Ms Roberts had a decorated career of more than 40 years in the Royal Australian Air Force as an Aerospace Engineer. She joins the Defence SA Advisory Board with extensive experience and knowledge in space capability analysis, project management, governance, airworthiness and safety, contracting, diplomatic postings and networking across Defence, Government, industry and academia. Ms Roberts has had postings as Head Aerospace Systems Division, Head of Air Force Capability and was the inaugural Commander of Defence Space Command responsible for consolidating space capabilities across ...

The Australian Government has announced the selection of ASC Pty Ltd and BAE Systems as Australia’s Sovereign Submarine Build Partner with the build taking place at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia. The announcement marks a critical step forward in the program, which represents the single biggest capability acquisition in Australia’s history. The selection of these two world-leading companies, with 95 years of combined experience, demonstrates their unrivalled capability, with ASC responsible for the build and sustainment of the existing Collins class submarines in Adelaide while BAE Systems is the UK’s long-term nuclear-powered submarine design and build partner. ASC ...

The South Australian Government and the United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, signalling the start of a co-operative working agreement in strategic areas of mutual interest, which includes defence and space. The MoU was signed in Adelaide by UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Lord David Cameron and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas. It aims to facilitate commercial, cultural, educational and research, and development collaboration. Key focus areas for closer co-operation are defence workforce development and skills capability, critical technologies, creative industries and space. In addition, both jurisdictions have agreed to work together to ...

A new Defence Trailblazer project will see technology giant Cisco and the University of Adelaide join forces to develop state-of-the-art technologies for secure military platforms. The project is led by Associate Professor Hung Nguyen from the University of Adelaide. Professor Nguyen is also the Information Warfare and Advanced Cyber co-lead for the Defence Trailblazer, stationed at the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C) in Lot Fourteen. “My research will apply new advanced algorithms and mathematical models to solve problems in platform security,” said Professor Nguyen. “We focus on developing provable cyber defensive solutions. This means building and configuring systems that are ...

The long-anticipated review into the Royal Australian Navy’s surface fleet requirements has seen South Australia retain its position as the home of major surface combatants under a continuous shipbuilding plan. At a press conference on Tuesday 20 February Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles confirmed that while the number of Hunter class frigates would be reduced from nine to six, the build of the replacement vessel for the Hobart class destroyer will immediately follow at the Osborne Naval Shipyard. In line with the recommendations of the review, the Navy’s future surface combatant fleet will be larger and more lethal comprising of ...

Applications are now open to nominate young achievers making waves in South Australia’s defence industry. Now in its 18th year, the Australian Defence Industry Network (AIDN) Young Achiever Award recognises upcoming defence industry leaders making an impact through leadership, technical ability and industry achievements. Each year, the award is held at a state level with winners moving on to compete for the National Award title. Defence SA will once again back South Australia’s future leaders as a proud sponsor of the South Australian AIDN Young Achiever Award which last year went to Aurizn Associate Research Scientist, Jonathan Hedger. Acting Chief ...

Three South Australian businesses­­­ – Aerobond, Hendon Semiconductors and JTM Gaskets – have secured funding, as part of the Australian Government’s Defence Global Competitiveness and Sovereign Industrial Capability Grants. The local defence manufacturers are among 10 innovative businesses nationwide that will share in the $3.4 million grant fund. The grants aim to bolster Australia’s defence by fostering cutting-edge capabilities, creating highly skilled jobs, and stimulating local manufacturing. Aerobond has been granted $849,876 to invest in machinery, electronics, and related manufacturing, specifically for guided munitions, hypersonic technology and integrated systems. Hendon Semiconductors will receive $689,251 to support defence platforms requiring ruggedised ...

South Australian cybersecurity company Secure State has joined leading technology provider archTIS Limited’s Channel Partner Program as a Silver Partner. Formalised earlier this month, the agreement marks a major milestone in Secure State’s 20-year history and supports the company’s mission of bringing Defence-grade cybersecurity solutions to Australia’s Defence supply chain. Under Silver Partner status, Secure State will resell and provide services for archTIS products Kojensi – a multi-level security platform for classified sharing and document collaboration and NC Protect – a data discovery, compliance, and protection software program to further strengthen its offering to clients around Australia. Founder and COO ...

Babcock Australasia has joined the list of companies breaking records in the defence industry in 2024. Starting this month, a record 69 graduates will take part in Babcock’s Graduate Program, gaining first-hand work experience supporting contracts for Collins Class submarines, High Frequency Communications and the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet. This announcement further cements the global defence and aerospace company’s commitment to upskilling the next generation of defence industry workers. Almost half the graduates will be based in Adelaide (34), with other graduates in the 2024 intake located in New Zealand (20), Perth (11), Sydney (3) and Melbourne (1). During the ...

Twenty-six university students were recognised at the Defence Industry Scholarship Program graduation ceremony held in Adelaide on 10 July 2024. Now in its fifth year, the successful South Australian Government program is administered by the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), supporting the development of a defence-ready workforce by providing students with unique insights into one of the state’s fastest growing sectors. To date, the program has provided 91 students from Flinders University, the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia with grants of up to $10,000 to undertake placements across 26 host companies. With more than 10,000 jobs ...

BAE Systems Australia has welcomed a record number of apprentices to begin their defence industry careers at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia. Forty apprentices have begun their journey into technical trades onboard the Hunter class frigate program, joining more than 1,800 people already working on the project – nearly 1,400 of whom are based at Osborne. Most apprentices will start roles in manufacturing, piping and mechanical trades, along with five starting work in electro-technology and machining in the production workshops, and seven existing BAE employees continuing their career journey as mature-aged apprentices. Managing Director of BAE Systems Australia ...

A project led by Adelaide based defence software firm, Acacia Systems, has been selected to receive a $1.6 million dollar funding boost under the inaugural round of the Defence Innovation Partnership’s Activator Fund. The ‘Enhancing the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Undersea Surveillance Minimum Viable Capability’ Project aims to advance novel approaches to increase the accuracy, range, tracking and localisation of undersea threats. The Activator Fund was established to enable South Australia to participate in larger-scale innovation activities within the defence industry and supports the rapid translation of innovative technology into Defence capability. Acacia System’s Chief Executive Officer, Horden Wiltshire, talks ...