Defence SA is delighted to announce the appointment of Mel Slater as Director Maritime, responsible for developing and delivering activities that grow the naval shipbuilding industry’s presence across South Australia and the nation. With over 35 years’ experience in shipbuilding construction, Mel has experience across engineering, major project and significant subcontracts, and senior management positions. Prior to joining Defence SA, Mel worked on major projects including the Attack class submarine program and AIR6500, responsible for aspects of sourcing within the supply chain through market solicitations, evaluations, subcontract negotiations and executions, with overall cost and schedule responsibilities. Mel has worked on ...

South Australian-based advanced manufacturer, AML3D, has announced a contract to manufacture and test components and additional test materials for BAE Systems Maritime Australia (BAESMA). The announcement of the prototype test part contract – which will be developed using AML3D’s Wire Arc Manufacturing (WAM®) – follows a previously announced feasibility and commercial validation testing program that demonstrated WAM® is a cost-effective solution that meets the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) standards. The prototype part is a test component for use within BAESMA’s contract to design and build the Hunter class frigates for the RAN in South Australia. AML3D’s Chief Executive Officer, Sean ...

South Australia’s Axiom Precision Manufacturing has announced a new contract with Kongsberg Defence Australia for the manufacture and delivery of ground support equipment for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) being developed under SEA 1300 Phase 1. Announced last year, the NSM is set to replace the Harpoon Anti-ship Missile capability on the Royal Australian Navy’s ANZAC class frigates and Hobart class destroyers. The manufacturing of the complex assemblies required for the missiles has begun at Axiom’s purpose-built, secure facilities in Wingfield, with the first deliveries due early 2024. General Manager of Kongsberg Defence Australia, John Fry, explained the organisation’s commitment ...

The Commonwealth Government will provide more than 1000 additional STEM-focused university places in SA from next year, to support South Australia’s endeavours in building nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines. The Commonwealth’s commitment will see South Australia receive more than a quarter of the 4001 new additional STEM places announced nationwide. The 1030 new places in SA represents an increase of 230 on the commitment first secured by the South Australian Government in a Cooperation Agreement with the Commonwealth in the wake of the AUKUS pact announcement in March. The decision will see 700 of the STEM places be delivered by the ...

Building on our proud legacy as Australia’s Defence State, the State Government has partnered with the Commonwealth Government to help the defence industry shore up the necessary pipeline of highly skilled workers required to fulfil current and horizon projects – funding workforce initiatives that help attract, upskill and retain workers.   The South Australian Defence Industry Workforce and Skills Report details targeted initiatives that accelerate the work already underway to grow the South Australian defence industry workforce. Building a capability pipeline across education, training and employment, the initiatives are designed to grow a skilled and inclusive workforce; from school, VET and ...

The 2023 Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, held in Sydney from 7-9 November, proved momentum is strong for Australia’s naval shipbuilding industry with multiple event records broken.   More than 27,000 delegates were in attendance across the three day event – up from 25,000 in 2022 – and the exhibition floor space was 13% larger than the previous record with 832 participating exhibitors from 21 nations. The record-breaking streak continued for South Australia with more than 80 local organisations participating on the South Australia – The Defence State stand, which was the largest delegation of any state or territory at ...

The Arafura class offshore patrol vessel (OPV) NUSHIP Eyre has been launched at South Australia’s world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard. Named for the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, NUSHIP Eyre is the second in a fleet of 12 OPVs being built by Luerssen Australia for the Royal Australian Navy. It is the last of its class to be constructed in South Australia and follows the launch of NUSHIP Arafura in December 2021. South Australian Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries, Susan Close, said the vessel’s launch represented an important milestone in the state’s continuous naval shipbuilding program. “The ...

Five Australian companies have come together to boost Australia’s sovereign Information Warfare (IW) capabilities with the formation of the Australian Information Warfare Alliance (AIWA). Announced at the Info Pacific International Maritime Exposition 2023, the AIWA brings together leading South Australian companies DEWC Services, Asension, SOIO – School of Information Operations, CyberOps and Canberra-based Elysium EPL to deliver specialised IW capability and capacity. Collectively, the consortium will harness the technical expertise of its founding member organisations to offer specialist support and expertise, training services, simulation and wargaming, sovereign research and development, as well as in-house capability development. AIWA spokesperson, Allan Dundas, ...

Australian submarine company, ASC, is set to partner with Tonsley Technical College, in a move that strengthen employment pathways for school students into the defence industry. As a key employer partner at the Tonsley Technical College, ASC will shape the learning experiences, support workplace learning and provide job opportunities through apprenticeships for students when they complete their programs. The partnership will also bolster the advanced manufacturing and engineering pathway being offered at the technical college, helping to ensure students are workplace ready when they complete their studies. With ASC focused on sustaining and updating the Collins class submarines, Managing Director ...

South Australian Defence technology company Consunet has attracted global attention by pushing the boundaries of AI and machine learning in the mission-critical area of Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS) management. Dr Don Gossink, Consunet’s Chief Scientist, will present Consunet’s breakthrough spectrum management technologies at the Military Communications and Information Systems (MiLCIS) Conference being held in Canberra this week. It follows his recent involvement on a panel of Radio Frequency Spectrum experts invited to discuss EMS challenges at the DARPA Electronics Resurgence Initiative Summit (ERI 2.0) in Seattle. ERI 2.0 is one of the foremost conferences for professionals working in the field of ...

A new partnership between the South Australian Government and the United States’ largest shipbuilder, HII, will accelerate the development of the state’s defence industry workforce, skills and supply chain. The Memorandum of Understanding between the South Australian Government and HII’s newly formed Australian entity, HII Nuclear Australia Pty Ltd, was signed on 13 November in Adelaide. The MoU outlines an arrangement to work together, leveraging HII’s international expertise to ready South Australia for major shipbuilding projects on the horizon. The parties will work with local companies, academia and education providers to develop a skilled workforce and strengthen Australia’s industry capability, ...

South Australian passive surveillance technology company, Silentium Defence, has become the second Australian company to graduate from the Lockheed Martin Mentor Protégé Program (MPP), bolstering the nation’s sovereign capability. Only the second company outside of the United States (US) to complete the MPP, the program has armed Silentium Defence with the knowledge and tools necessary to accelerate its business growth, enhance its organisational maturity and contribute to the strength of Australia’sindustrial defence capability. Over an intensive 12-month period, Silentium Defence received guidance and support from Lockheed Martin’s foremost subject matter experts across the US and Australia, covering critical business areas ...