The Australian government has announced it will invest $850 million to manufacture long-range cruise missiles at a plant in Newcastle Airport precinct.
The announcement was made during a press conference in Canberra on August 22, 2024. According to Pat Conroy, Defense Industry and Capability Delivery Minister, the missiles will enhance the Australian Defense Force’s (ADF) ability “to precisely strike targets at a longer range”.
“Manufacturing of these missiles represents our investment in Australia’s advanced high-tech manufacturing industry in line with the government’s Made in Australia agenda” Conroy said. “This is about investing in 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 for the Australian Defence Force.”
The factory will manufacture Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles (JSM). The missiles will be co-produced with Norway’s Kongsberg through its subsidiary Kongsberg Defence Australia. It will be the only facility outside of Norway to manufacture both platforms.
The Naval Strike Missile, which was recently test-fired by the Royal Australian Navy, is a modern anti-ship missile designed to defeat highly capable warships at distances greater than 100 nautical miles.
The Joint Strike Missile is the air-launched version, which can be integrated into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The weapon can be used against naval or ground-based targets and has a quoted range over 300 nautical miles. It can also communicate with other missiles and features onboard systems to help it discriminate targets independently.
The factory is expected to start operating in 2027, with full-rate production to occur in 2028 with the capacity to produce 100 missiles per year. Once operational, the factory is expected to employ approximately 100 skilled workers.
Currently Australia is one of Asia-Pacific nations dramatically increasing defense spending. According to Conroy, the country is “committed to a record of $330 billion over the decade in capability investment for the Australian Defense”.
Kongsberg Defence Australia is set to become a strategic partner in the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. Supported by a commitment of up to $21 billion over the next decade, this initiative launched in March 2021 aims to develop a domestic production of long-range strike systems.
