South Australia is set to reaffirm its reputation as the Defence State with more than 65 exhibitors featured on the Defence SA stand at November’s Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney.

Riding off the success of the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) event in London in September, attended by more than 50 South Australian companies, the state’s robust defence industry presence at Indo Pac will again demonstrate its readiness to support both Pillar I and II of the AUKUS agreement, along with other maritime projects.

“While South Australia is widely recognised for our role in delivering nuclear-powered submarines under Pillar I, our defence industry capability is much more than submarines,” said Matt Opie, Defence SA Chief Executive.

“Indo Pacific will present an opportunity for companies to highlight their expertise across a range of maritime projects and also other domains including autonomous systems, guided weapons and explosive ordnance, cyber and electronic warfare.”

“We’ll also have companies looking to expand into international markets, so export opportunities will be another key driver for our highly capable and diverse industry partners on the Defence State stand,” said Mr Opie.

Along with the SSN-AUKUS submarines, South Australia is home to the Hunter class frigate build, life of type extension for the Collins class submarines and combat system upgrades for the Hobart class Air Warfare Destroyers.

These programs will be undertaken at the Osborne Naval Shipyard with major upgrades and expansion set to ensure it is one of the most technologically advanced shipyards in the world and one of only four with nuclear capability under the AUKUS agreement.

South Australian industry is also contributing to a number of international Defence programs, including US navy programs and the UK’s Type 26 frigates, building vital capability in preparation for Australia’s own Hunter class frigate program.

Local South Australian company AML3D, a global leader in large-scale metal additive manufacturing, is no stranger to the export world, already feeding into major international defence programs, including the US Navy.

AML3D CEO Sean Ebert said, “South Australia has a proud history of delivering innovation to the maritime sector, and AML3D is honoured to be part of that legacy. From our base here in Adelaide, we are exporting world-first wire additive manufacturing solutions that are already proving their value to global naval and Defence customers.”

“Indo Pac provides us with the opportunity to showcase how South Australian capability is ready today to support Australia’s sovereign shipbuilding enterprise, while also strengthening partnerships across the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Our ambition is clear — to ensure that cutting-edge South Australian technology continues to contribute to both national security and international maritime projects on a scale that reflects the strength and talent of our state’s defence industry.”

Sovereign systems integration specialist Daronmont Technologies is pursuing opportunities across a number of major Australian Defence projects as well as exports to Europe and the US. Developing collaborative partnerships with local and international defence companies is a key focus for the company, especially for their passive and HF radar and deployable systems.

“Daronmont is proud to be one of the great South Australian companies exhibiting at IndoPac 25 and is appreciative of the ongoing support of the team at Defence SA and the South Australian Government,” said Daronmont’s Lee Stanley.

“Following a successful DSEI as a member of the South Australian delegation, IndoPac presents a valuable opportunity to deepen business connections with potential Australian, UK, US and European partners, showcase our advanced capabilities especially in passive radar, maritime situational awareness and deployable systems and will allow us to explore new avenues for collaboration in defence innovation.”

Mr Opie added that South Australia’s defence industry presence at Indo Pacific sends a strong message for global partners.

“We’re ready and capable to contribute to any maritime project in Australia, and we’re also ready to add value to Defence projects around the world.”

South Australia’s world-class research and development capability will also be on show, with our universities among the most experienced in the nation when it comes to defence innovation, workforce development and industry collaboration.

Visit the South Australia – the Defence State stand in Hall 3, Stand 3C74, at Indo Pacific from 4-6 November 2025.

See our full list of exhibitors here.