In the lead up to the Avalon Airshow next week, Lockheed Martin Australia held an industry showcase in Canberra on 16 February, to highlight some of its industry partners in its bid for the Commonwealth’s $2.7 billion Air 6500 Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) program.
The prime is one of two companies in line for Air 6500, alongside Northrop Grumman Australia, and it used the event to highlight some of the ten Australian small to medium enterprises (SMEs) it has so far on contract to support its bid.
Lockheed Martin Australia’s Kendell Kuczma, International Business Development Director of Rotary and Missions Systems for Australia and New Zealand, told invited media that the agreements it has signed are non-exclusive contracts, allowing the Commonwealth to pick and choose the technologies it thinks critical to its future JABMS capability.
In many ways Australia is leading the world in its aspirations for a truly joint, integrated air battle management system.
“Lockheed Martin carefully hand selected our partners, using our extensive experience in delivering battle-proven IAMD systems to not only design a solution trusted to defend Australia and its national interests but to choose those with the skills to contribute to it,” she said. “By leveraging Australian companies with a strong understanding of Defence, we will create a system that connects Defence’s modern systems and display it to commanders who can make decisions with improved clarity and situational awareness.”
On display in the company’s Endeavour Centre in its Canberra headquarters was technology developed by Silentium Defence, Consilium, Consunet, C4I, Penten and fellow industry prime Leidos.
Silentium brings its passive radar technology represented by its Maverick series of radars to the table; Consilium its simulation, advanced sensing and AI systems; Consunet its Electro-Magnetic Battle Management (EBMS) subsystem; C4I its secure voice communications expertise and Leidos its extensive experience in technical services and digital modernisation.
Other companies under contract on the program include QinetiQ Australia, Lucid Consulting Engineering and Daronmont.
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Warren McDonald said Australia stands to benefit from $83 billion in global sales from the export potential associated with the program.
“Our focus on Australian industry, and how they contribute to our proposed solution, has the potential to provide a pipeline into the global IAMD enterprise,” he said.
Disclaimer: The writer travelled to Canberra as a guest of Lockheed Martin Australia