Photo: businessinsider.com.au

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, announced Government had reached an agreement with Lockheed Martin to grow the international competitiveness of small to medium sized companies and their ability to enter export markets.

Minister Pyne said that Defence has seven defence primes with global supply chain agreements which has provided Australian industry with contracts totalling over $830 million.

“This program provides Australian businesses with export opportunities that are both defence and commercial in nature,” he said.

“Lockheed Martin is exploring Australia’s research and development community for advanced niche technologies and low technology readiness level solutions that could be injected into major future Lockheed Martin programs.

“This provides opportunity and certainty for our defence companies and research organisations, and with the recent announcement of the Defence Innovation Hub, commercialisation pathways for Australia’s world leading innovations are being realised.

“Under the Global Supply Chain Program, primes also provide advocacy, mentoring and training,” Minister Pyne said.

Lockheed Martin recently held their Innovation Symposium involving 42 research organisations and academia, reinforcing the contribution the prime makes to supporting Australia’s defence industry.

The global supply chain agreement is supported by Defence through Project AIR 5428 Pilot Training System.

The primes currently participating in the program are: Boeing; Raytheon; Rheinmetall; Thales; Lockheed Martin; BAE Systems; and Northrop Grumman.