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 such as ethics, contracting, quality, cyber security readiness and international regulatory compliance.

Silentium Defence’s co-founder and Chief Experience Officer, Simon Palumbo, highlighted the invaluable access the business had been provided as part of the program.

“As we execute our 10-year technology roadmap, integrating Silentium passive radars into the evolving doctrine of defence situational awareness, locally and globally, a deep understanding of scaling mechanisms, engagement, and export into priority international markets is crucial,” Mr Palumbo said.

“We are thankful for the support and guidance of Lockheed Martin Australia, with its more than 70 years of experience contributing to the security of Australia, and for the knowledge and relationships gained through the Mentor Protégé Program, which has already proven beneficial in accelerating our success.”

The MPP is part of Lockheed Martin’s commitment to upskilling small-to-medium enterprises, ensuring their competitiveness on the global stage and fortifying Australia’s position as a hub for cutting-edge defence technologies.

Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive, Warren McDonald, congratulated Silentium Defence on completing the MPP.

“Silentium Defence is a valued industry partner to Lockheed Martin Australia and their advanced technologies play a crucial role as part of our AIR6500 solution and ‘Agile Shield’ improvised threat detection system,” Mr McDonald said.

“The Mentor Protégé Program is a rigorous and extensive initiative, and we applaud Silentium Defence for becoming the program’s second international industry graduate.

“The Mentor Protégé Program offers additional avenues to collaborate with local industry, enhance skills, create jobs, and increase access to global supply chains.”

Adelaide-based turnkey satellite solution provided, Inovor Technologies, is set to be the next Australian company to benefit from the global mentor program, announced as the next participant in the Lockheed Martin MPP earlier this year.