Lockheed Australia and DOD Sign Partnership

Lockheed Martin Australia has announced a landmark AUD$500 million contract with the Department of Defence to develop the Joint Air Battle Management System, a strategic, national endeavour under project AIR6500-1. The system is designed to provide Defence with an advanced integrated air and missile defence capability, using next-generation technologies to combat high-speed threats. 

The AIR6500-1 program, stewarded by Defence and Lockheed Martin Australia, will be built in Australia by Australians, with an emphasis on allocating a significant majority of the workshare to Australian industry for its development and delivery. The program will create over 230 new jobs across Adelaide, Williamtown, and Canberra in high-value STEM roles such as engineering, software development, cyber, and project management. 

The program will generate further indirect jobs through Australia's air and missile defence supply chain, allowing Australian industry to benefit from a global $83B export market. Lockheed Martin Australia will also establish a National Integrated Air and Missile Defence Ecosystem to support Defence. 

Erika Marshall, Vice President of C4ISR, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems, expressed her honour at being the ADF's strategic partner in this venture, emphasising that the core of this 21st-century security joint all-domain system is Australian industry. She stated that the program would harness the ingenuity of Australian small-to-medium enterprises, industry primes, and academia to establish Australia's Defence Force as one of the most technologically advanced in the world.

Lockheed Martin Australia developed an Operator Evaluation System for the Joint Air Battle Management System ahead of the AIR6500-1 contract signing. This system was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. Defence's air battle managers can access a secure test environment using this system to provide feedback on the design and functionality of AIR6500-1, which will inform future development activities. 

The program will also create a further 300 indirect jobs in Australia's air and missile defence supply chain, providing opportunities for Australian industry to benefit from a global $83B export market. 

Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand's CEO, Warren McDonald, praised Defence and Lockheed Martin Australia's AIR6500 team for achieving this historic strategic partnership, stating that AIR6500-1 would give Australia and its allies greater connectivity and interoperability to counter current and future air and missile threats. He added that in a contested and fast-moving environment, AIR6500-1 would provide decision-makers with more time to consider and respond to situations, making it a valuable commodity. 

The program is expected to provide important economic benefits, including job creation and export opportunities for Australian industry. The eight-year strategic partnership will support Defence in developing an advanced integrated air and missile defence capability to ensure national security.