Operational excellence in high-stakes environments demands more than just the fulfilment of a contract—it requires innovation, agility, and commitment. For the Australian Defence Force, the proficient management of Ground Support Equipment is crucial. Babcock is proving to be an invaluable partner in this arena, revolutionising asset management through technical innovation and embedded expertise.
When Babcock Australasia (Babcock) assumed responsibility for the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) Ground Support Equipment (GSE) contract in 2017, the expectation was clear: improve the reliability and responsiveness of equipment support systems so that critical operations can occur without delay or disruption.
For Babcock, simply meeting that objective wasn’t enough—it was determined to go further.
Within six months, it had introduced a transformative fleet intelligence tool, leveraging data-driven insights to establish dynamic asset tracking, predictive maintenance scheduling, and rapid response systems to enhance support for tri-service operations.
Its housekeeping efforts quickly addressed critical gaps in equipment availability and reliability. This included implementing refurbishment programs for key assets supporting front-line aircraft, which not only extended their operational life but reduced overall cost of ownership.
“From the outset, our focus has been on delivering greater agility to the ADF, enabling it to execute operations across diverse environments,” Babcock Australasia Managing Director of Mission and Support Systems Richard Udall says.
“Our ability to anticipate and address challenges has seen us almost triple the contract from 4,000 to 11,000 assets across 250 fleet types.”
Babcock has expanded its workforce from 16 to 65 to manage this growth, delivering top-tier service across 20 defence bases in Australia and internationally and 24/7 engineering, logistics and inventory support to core RAAF assets including Mobile Aircraft Arrestor and Deployable Duty Mission systems.
Effective obsolescence management and fleet acquisitions have also bolstered readiness with the rolling delivery of new assets into the portfolio, including tugs, munitions trailers and Helicopter Modular Approach Shoring kits.
Babcock’s strong partnerships with Australian industry has assisted rapid procurement.
Perhaps the most transformational part of Babcock’s modern GSE management has been the embedding of engineering and technical staff onto military bases across the country.
Last year, it introduced six Maintenance Support Officer roles to support direct servicing at RAAF bases Amberley, Edinburgh and Richmond. More positions will be added in 2025 to expand support in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.
“Integrating technicians directly into the customer's project teams streamlines communication, clarifies expectations, and fosters a better understanding of needs. It also accelerates turnaround times by minimising off-base repairs,” Mr Udall says.
A Technical Liaison Officer embedded within Combat Support Group further facilitates coordination among stakeholders, including Headquarters Air Command and the Aviation Support Systems Program Office, enabling real-time problem-solving.
This increasing dynamism provides scope for Babcock to expand its services in bespoke ways to multiple customers.
“We see ourselves providing immense value in a stewardship role, whereby Defence personnel can push on with their core operations and we can take care of the rest,” Mr Udall says.
“Recognising there are common assets, this capability could seamlessly expand to support allied defence forces during deployments in Australia.
“Our agile business model also enables our staff to operate from virtually anywhere, making it feasible to provide direct support to the front line from the front line.”
This is already proving successful within Babcock’s global operations, with support provided to allied forces in Ukraine, and in France, where it is currently delivering a multi-million-dollar ground support contract for the French Armed Forces.
This effort features a customer-focused coordination centre in Bordeaux-Beauséjour and mobile workshop teams supporting 1,000 pieces of equipment and 4,000 spare parts for French Army, Navy and Airforce at 44 sites worldwide.
In Ukraine, Babcock’s training and technical and engineering support to the local military was recognised with a UK Chief of Defence Logistics and Support Commendation from Vice Admiral Andy Kyte.
“Babcock has set a new benchmark in GSE management,” Mr Udall says. “We have moved beyond transactional service delivery to become a genuine strategic partner, committed to shared goals and mission success. This is a new era in asset management excellence.”