Thales Australia has been contracted by Rheinmetall Defence Australia to manufacture critical weapons components for the Australian Army’s new Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles, signifying a strong show of support for our defence industry.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price announced Thales would draw on its extensive experience and Australian supplier base to assist with the manufacture of components for the Boxer’s 30mm cannon. The components will then be assembled at Rheinmetall’s Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland, officially opened by Prime Minister Scott Morrison in October last year.
Price said partnerships with local defence industry were critical to ensuring our industrial base effectively supported Australia’s national security. “This contract is a great testament to the Morrison Government’s commitment to strengthening Australia’s sovereign defence industrial capability and maximising opportunities for local business in defence manufacturing,” Price said. “Australian industry will play a vital role in the delivery of the Boxer vehicles. Rheinmetall will use suppliers across the country to design, build, assemble, test and support the Boxer vehicles for the Army. We are backing Aussie businesses and supporting local jobs.”
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Defence Personnel Andrew Gee welcomed the announcement, which is a boon for jobs and investment in the Lithgow community. “In 1912, the Lithgow Small Arms Factory, which would become Thales Australia, began producing SMLE 303 rifles carried by Australian forces in WW1,” Gee said. “More than a century later, the tradition of the Australian Defence Force employing not only Australian-made but Lithgow-made weapons continues, with Thales Australia to deliver 30mm cannon components for the new Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles. First samples of the weapon components manufactured by Thales Australia in Lithgow have been given the green light, passing stringent quality control checks by Rheinmetall in Germany. The manufacturing partnership will create about 10 new jobs and provide support for the 130 jobs already at the Lithgow site. The Lithgow Arms Factory is part of the fabric of the Lithgow region, and plays a key role in our national defence capability, ensuring our ADF personnel have access to world-class military weapons.”
Rheinmetall Defence Australia will deliver and support 211 Boxer 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles – a key investment under the 2020 Force Structure Plan – under the LAND 400 Phase 2 – Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle project to replace the Australian Army’s Australian Light Armoured Vehicles. The Boxer vehicles will provide enhanced mobility, firepower and protection in environments ranging from regional stability missions to high threat operations.
Thales Australia has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price and the Minister for Veteran’s Affairs Andrew Gee of a new manufacturing partnership between Rheinmetall Defence Australia and Thales Australia. The partnership will also look at transferring to Australia the manufacture and sustainment of a range of mounted weapons, combining Thales Australia’s deep manufacturing expertise and domestic supplier base with Rheinmetall’s world-class mounted weapons.
Through substantial technology transfer to Australia in support of a number of Defence projects, and with an aim of 100 percent Australian Industry Capability, this partnership will be a significant driver of growth in Australia’s sovereign capability, boosting investment in SMEs, R&D and delivering long-term jobs. Thales Australia has built a national industrial ecosystem to support the delivery of capability to the Australian Defence Force. In 2020 alone Thales Australia spent $657m with 1,841 Australian firms, 82 percent of which were SMEs.
Thales Australia’s recent supply chain analysis with Accenture demonstrated that there is a substantial economic benefit from domestic defence spending, delivering thousands of jobs through hundreds of business across the nation. “Increasing Australia’s industrial capability will build Australia’s self-reliance and the capability of the broader Australian advanced manufacturing sector, which is vital to delivering a capability advantage to the Australian Defence Force,” said Chris Jenkins, chief executive officer, Thales Australia.
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