Boeing Australia has received approval from the country’s Defence Aviation Safety Authority to locally manufacture aerospace parts and components for the Australian Army.
Managing Director of Boeing Australia, Amy List, said the approval will support “greater self-reliance into Australia’s defense industry and will improve the availability of our military aircraft through faster, more cost-effective methods of parts production.”
List added that the approval will also contribute to “identifying ways of strengthening Australia’s sovereign military aircraft maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade capability.”
Boeing has already begun the domestic production of a plastic wire guard for the F/A-18F Super Hornet fleet at RAAF Base Amberley.
The initiative could expand to include supplementary parts for the E-7A Wedgetail, P-8A Poseidon, C-17A Globemaster, F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, CH-47F Chinook, EC135-T2+ rotorcraft, and the country’s upcoming AH-64E Apache fleet.
Boosting Local Production
Canberra is taking various measures to enhance its local industry’s capacity and is collaborating with several enterprises that have established production facilities in the country in recent years.
Earlier this month, Babcock inaugurated a new facility in Adelaide to accelerate manufacturing and repair capabilities for both army and navy programs.
In 2023, BAE Systems Australia and MBDA announced their involvement in supplying the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) program, which was launched in 2021.
The GWEO aims to build a local guided weapon and explosive ordnance system with comprehensive research services, testing, training and evaluation, production, maintenance, and repair support.
The initiative includes an investment of $4.1 billion to increase the acquisition of long-range strike systems and produce longer-range munitions in Australia.