The Australian government has announced that it will invest in the construction of a new factory for Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace missiles in Williamtown, near Newcastle in the Australian state of New South Wales.

Canberra is to contribute up to AUS 850 million (EUR 514 million) in partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia to manufacture and service missiles in Williamtown, including constructing a new factory in the Newcastle Airport precinct of New South Wales, about 120 km north of Sydney.

Construction of the factory is expected to start later this year. Once complete, the factory will manufacture and service Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSMs) to be used by the Australian Defence Force (ADF). It will be one of only two facilities in the world capable of producing NSMs and JSMs, with the other site being in Kongsberg, Norway.

JSMs can be carried by the Royal Australian Air Force’s fleet of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, while the NSM will replace the Harpoon anti-ships missiles on Royal Australian Navy Hobart-class destroyers and Anzac-class frigates.

The Albanese government is including Kongsberg Defence Australia as a strategic partner in the country’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, which is backed by a commitment of up to AUS 21 billion over the coming decade through the government’s 2024 Integrated Investment Program. It delivers on priorities in the 2024 National Defence Strategy to both develop the ADF’s ability to precisely strike targets at longer range and manufacture munitions in Australia.

Talking of Canberra’s investment in Kongsberg Defence Australia, Pat Conroy, Australia’s minister for the defence industry and capability delivery, was quoted in a government press release as saying, “This is about investing in our advanced, high-tech manufacturing industry and developing our sovereign defence-industrial base in areas which have been identified as strategic priorities, which in turn means we can accelerate capability delivery to the ADF.

“We cannot deliver the generational uplift in capability outlined in the National Defence Strategy without our industry partners,” he added, “and we look forward to working with Kongsberg Defence Australia as a GWEO Strategic Partner.”

The Australian government is to contribute up to AUS 850 million to the construction of a new factory for Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace missiles in Williamtown, near Newcastle in the Australian state of New South Wales. (Image: KDA)