Defence invests in domestic rocket motor program as part of GWEO

The Australian Department of Defence is investing an initial $22 million in a sovereign rocket motor construction program to support its Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) program to build long-range missiles in Australia.

Defence has also announced it will invest up to $60 million over the next five years to develop the next generation of guided weapon sub-systems and components for hypersonic and long-range strike missiles.

It is seeking options from industry to establish a manufacturing complex that will enable production of rocket motors in Australia. The initial investment of $22 million over the next three years will help grow Australia’s advanced high-technology manufacturing sector and boost long‑range strike capabilities for the ADF.

The investment is underpinned by the Australian government’s Future Made in Australia agenda, which will improve the resilience of domestic and international supply chains, provide for greater strategic sovereignty, enhance export opportunities, and deliver broad economic and employment benefits, particularly in regional Australia.

“Today’s announcement represents a leap forward for the Australian defence industry and continues to deliver on the Albanese Government’s commitment to providing the ADF with the capabilities it needs to make Australians safer and safeguard our national interests.

“This is another investment in a future made in Australia and the more than 100,000 Australians, including in regional Australia, that are benefiting from the Government’s commitment to grow our sovereign defence industry and sovereign industrial base,” said Pat Conroy, Minister  for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.  

“This program is an endorsement of Australian ingenuity. Making solid rocket motors in Australia will build on Australia’s proud history as a manufacturing nation and contribute to a future made in Australia.”

Rocket motors are required for most guided weapons, including Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) missiles, which Lockheed Martin Australia will start to assemble in-country from next year. It’s expected the rocket motor complex will begin production by the end of the decade.

The rocket motor program is part of the GWEO Enterprise which is backed by up to $21 billion over the decade through the 2024 Integrated Investment Program.

Defence’s investment of up to $60 million will enable partnerships between industry and Defence and allow the next generation of guided weapon technologies to enter the supply chain of GWEO Strategic Partners.

This investment will also deliver industry-manufactured prototypes of the critical seeker, fuse and warhead sub-systems and aligns with the work being done as part of DSTG’s Advanced Rocket Motor Technology Demonstrator (ARMTD) program, which has leveraged collaboration from Five Eyes science and technology partners.

The rocket motor and ARMTD programs are key to enhancing Australia’s national security, Defence says. They are part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to delivering on the 2024 National Defence Strategy’s recommendation to invest in and uplift Australia’s domestic manufacturing capability.