Thales Australia, Austal and Tropical Reef Shipyard have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support the Australian government’s National Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Enterprise.
The local and efficient delivery of Ship Support, Sustainment and Lifecycle Management is critical to support the Royal Australian Navy’s ability to fight and win at sea. Thales Australia, Austal and Tropical Reef Shipyard recognise that close collaborative relationships between industrial partners and suppliers are essential to ensure Navy has the capability it needs. The MOU prioritises the development of local professional, technical and trade skills of the Far North Queensland region. It focusses on the capability assurance of Navy assets through the delivery of project management, and ship repair and defect rectification services to Navy from Cairns.
Thales Australia Vice President Above Water Systems Max Kufner said that Thales’s highest priority is ensuring that CASG and Navy is able to achieve and sustain mission capability. “As Navy transforms its sustainment model, this MoU helps cement the close collaborative relationships that are key to ensuring we help deliver an integrated regional sustainment environment. I am delighted to be working closely with Austal and Tropical Reef Shipyard and many other local businesses to ensure Navy gets the best support and sustainment outcomes, while maximising opportunities for local companies. Local Cairns businesses have played an essential role in delivering the sustainment of the Armidale Class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy. These activities have seen more than A$10 million invested in the local economy in 2020 as a direct result of Thales’s policy of maximising the work flowing to local small and medium sized businesses.”
Federal Member for Leichardt Warren Entsch said that “this MOU signing is a great example of how capable our local defence industry is building upon this region being a regional maintenance and sustainment hub.”
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