Thales Australia has been appointed as the Regional Maintenance Provider (RMP) for the new Regional Maintenance Centre East at Defence’s Garden Island Precinct, with the announcement of a Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Maritime Sustainment contract to maintain Australia’s naval fleet.
“I am pleased to be at Garden Island to announce this new $2 billion partnership with Thales Australia, which will create almost a thousand secure, high skilled, local jobs in defence industry," said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry.
“Growing our sovereign naval shipbuilding industrial capability is not just good for jobs, it’s imperative for our national security. I’m focussed on making it easier for local industry to partner with Defence, and this partnership with Thales Australia will help to do that.”
Thales, supported by over 500 Australian SMEs and its 460-strong workforce at Garden Island in Sydney, will work in close collaboration with all RMPs across the country, to manage sustainment, integration and lifecycle management services to advance fleet sustainment delivery in Australia.
The seven-year contract is expected to generate over 800 local jobs and generate over $700 million of opportunities with Australian SMEs to 2028, including the addition of over 40 new apprentices, trainees and cadets based at the Garden Island Defence Precinct (GIDP).
“We are grateful to be selected as the Australian Defence Force’s regional maintenance partner of choice, providing indispensable services and support to the Royal Australian Navy in the protection of our nation at Garden Island in Sydney,” said Jeff Connolly, Chief Executive Officer, Thales Australia & New Zealand
"Thales Australia is committed to ensuring the continued training and upskilling of our people to advance dockyard operations as the new vessels come online, as well as engaging and training the new apprentices, trainees and cadets of the future to
guarantee knowledge transfer to future-proof this essential sovereign sustainment capability for the ADF.”
The new maintenance centre will support the sustainment of Navy’s Canberra class Landing Helicopter Docks, Hobart class Guided Missile Destroyers and HMAS Choules Landing Ship Dock.