INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURERS
Victoria is home to a number of leading companies with GWEO related capabilities.
Thales Australia is the largest supplier of explosive ordnance to the Australian Defence Force. The company’s Benalla facility in conjunction with Mulwala produces a wide range of ammunition, explosive ordnance and other munitions. NIOA has also established operations at the Commonwealth-owned facility in Benalla to manufacture a range of munitions for the Australian Defence Force and for export. The Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions joint venture will also produce ammunition for the F-35 programme in Benalla.
BAE Systems has a Melbourne-based aerospace facility which designs advanced naval air defence systems like the Nulka Active Missile Decoy and the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile System, both major export success stories. BAE manufactures elements of the Nulka weapon system in Victoria. The Nulka Active Missile Decoy is the most sophisticated defence system against anti-ship missiles available for the protection of surface warships. It is currently deployed on over 150 Australian, US and Canadian warships.
Aquaterro is a key supplier of operational, tactical, and protective equipment to the Australian Defence Force and operates a 100-meter-long indoor firing range at its facility in Pakenham. This is the only such private facility in Australia.
Chemring Australia manufactures and supplies a range of air and sea launched countermeasures and is Australia’s leading designer and manufacturer of specialised military pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic countermeasures and special purpose devices. The company also develops systems in electronic warfare, Counter-Improvised Explosive devices and Explosive Ordnance Disposal and undertakes research and development tasks for the Defence Science and Technology Group.