Officially opened! It was a big, joint partnership between Lockheed Martin and Thales as the ribbon was cut to mark the official opening of the Lockheed Martin Australia office at Mulwala Munitions Facility on Thursday, February 24. The big step follows last October’s announcement that Lockheed Martin with United States and French origins, would combine at Mulwala to boost Australia’s sovereign capability.
Mulwala Munitions Facility’s current workforce of 380 employees could increase by up to 200, by the year 2028.
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The potential substantial increase was strongly indicated last week because of the partnership formed between Lockheed Martin Australia and Thales.
Left to right, after the official opening, Messrs Jeff Connolly (Thales), and Lockheed Martin’s Ken Kota, Pat Sunderlin and James Heading.
The official opening of a new Lockheed Martin Australia office at the Mulwala facility took place last Thursday, February 23.
As part of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, Lockheed Martin Australia signed an agreement with Thales to lease the office at the Mulwala Munition’s facility.
The occasion recognises Lockheed Martin Australia’s partnership with Thales Australia, the legacy of the Mulwala Munitions Facility site and the significance of the occasion for Lockheed Martin in Australia, expanding its footprint and capability for advancing in-country production.
Trading as Australian Munitions, Thales Australia currently manages the Commonwealth-owned facility at Mulwala and has made a significant investment in state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing equipment at the site.
In front of a building which has had many uses since the factory’s establishment in 1942, including the drawing office involving technical drawings for maintenance machinery and buildings, which is now the Lockheed Martin Australian office, were Australian Munitions team leaders and supervisors with Lockheed Martin leaders and Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG), Department of Defence personnel.
The Mulwala site is the first co-located presence for Lockheed Martin Australia.
At last Thursday’s opening, Lockheed Martin Australia’s Director of Programs, Strategic Capabilities Office, Missiles and Fire Control James Heading said the increased workforce initially would be a transient population.
“The numbers could become a permanent 30 to 50 employees in the 18-24 month period rising to up to 200 over a five-year horizon,” he told the Yarrawonga Chronicle.
“Employees would include classified, unclassified and senior engineers.
“Consultation is required with the US Government before production detail is finalised and our Federal Government’s response to the Defence Strategy Review will be integral to the scope of work at Mulwala. I expect that response to be March or early April.”
Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1,200 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors.
Lockheed Martin Australia is a Department of Defence strategic industry partner in support of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise.
The company’s technologies have contributed to the realisation of Australia’s national interests for over 70 years, and its vision for the future of security aims to do the same for the decades to come.
Chief Executive Officer Thales Australia and New Zealand, Jeff Connolly, said the official opening is an important step forward to achieving the Australian’s Government’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance objectives.
“Thales is the main provider of explosive ordnance and propellant in Australia,” the CEO said.
“We are committed to our partnership with Lockheed Martin and the development of the high-performance propellants and explosives for warheads, solid fuel rocket motor manufacturing and associated research and development essential to achieving a sovereign guided weapons capability for the Australian Defence Force.”
Thales currently employs some 650 skilled staff (380 at Mulwala and 270 at Benalla) to manufacture munitions systems for the ADF and allied forces.
“Thales works with over 500 Australian small and medium enterprises and a large range of weapons systems, primed to ensure the ADF receives the locally manufactured munitions they need,” Mr Connolly said.
Vice President of the Australia Defence Strategic Capabilities Office at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Ken Kota, is positive about the future enterprise.
“We are working to accelerate the connectivity of our platforms at Lockheed Martin, with a view to encompassing the greater defence ecosystem,” he said.
“We will collaborate to tie together our platforms and systems with those of other manufacturers, across generations. This ‘network effect’ for our partners will provide greater returns in capability and efficiency than any individual system could on its own.
“We are actively engaging with suppliers, partners and small businesses to give them every opportunity to partner with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver world-class capability to the GWEO enterprise.”
Tim Cahill, Executive Vice President, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Tim Cahill welcomed the establishment of the new office.
“Lockheed Martin is expanding – we recently opened a dedicated Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO) program office in Canberra, and today, in partnership with Thales Australia, we have added a new office in Mulwala to support the development and production of various manufacturing activities in Australia,” he said.
Vice President, Operations, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control Orlando, Florida, Pat Sunderlin commented: “Lockheed Martin, together with our industry and defence partners are paving the way for the accelerated development and production of guided weapons capabilities.”
The Lockheed Martin Australia office at Australia Munitions Mulwala.
Great impressions of Mulwala
The Thales Australia/Lockheed Martin Australia partnership has been years in the making with discussions, meetings and visits. What exists at Mulwala greatly impressed Lockheed Martin.
“There’s no more perfect place than this, there’s no more perfect time to do this business,” Mr Sunderlin said.
“There is the need for this capability, for the peace and safety of all our nations and for economic capability.
“I’ve seen the workforce passion here and employees understanding their jobs. They do it really well and safely. It was very important when we were making decisions.
“It’s a partnership – better to be together than alone. Lockheed Martin is open for business – we’re here to stay. “
Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke welcomed the formal partnership. “Today is a big step forward and we look forward to continued progress with the exciting news,” he said.
Mulwala Facility Manager Trevor Gunn was excited with the official opening of the Lockheed Martin Office at Mulwala. “It’s good news, it’s magnificent for the facility, for the town, the community. This will be really good,” he said.
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