STRONG AIR PRESENCE
Victoria leads the way in aerospace design, manufacture and training. Over the last ten years, Victorian companies have secured 64 per cent by value of all contracts awarded to Australia for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project - the most of any state.
The JSF project will supply 72 planes to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) including associated facilities, weapons and training. Lockheed Martin is partnering with the Australian defence industry, with companies such as Melbourne-based Marand which will supply 700 F-35 vertical tail fins over the next 20 years and Lovitt Technologies contributing airframe design, component machining and materials analysis.
Lockheed Martin is also partnering Pilatus Aircraft and Hawker Pacific to provide a new Australian Defence Force pilot training system at RAAF East Sale – a seven-year contract worth $1.2 billion generating $2 billion for Victoria’s economy.
Textron Systems Australia, another Melbourne-based company, specialises in the design and manufacturing of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for military and civilian applications.
Thales Australia’s Melbourne Centre of Excellence for Air Traffic Management develops airspace control systems for civil and military use. The Centre exports TopSky systems throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond to Africa and the Middle East. TopSky will contribute to a Civil Military Air Traffic Management Systems (OneSky) for AirServices Australia and the RAAF.
Other globally competitive aerospace companies include:
- Adacel Technologies
- Aerosonde
- A W Bell
- Boeing Aerostructures Australia
- Cambridge Technologies
- Hoffman Engineering
- Invenio
- Lovitt Technologies
- Pennant Australia
- Quickstep
For further information on the capabilities and credentials of the companies in Victoria’s aerospace industry see Victorian Defence Alliance – Aerospace
THE CENTRE OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Victoria is home to three of the nation’s key aerospace R&D institutions. The Defence Science and Technology Group’s Aerospace Division is based in Melbourne and provides critical scientific and technical advice to support the acquisition of the JSF. In addition, The Defence Materials Technology Centre undertakes aerospace R&D including materials analysis and propulsion and energy storage, while the Defence Science Institute facilitates defence aerospace research.
