2LT International News
Australia official says country to manufacture guided missiles in 2025
May 1, 2023
SYDNEY, Australia: Australia says it will begin domestic guided missile manufacturing by 2025, two years earlier than expected.
The timetable, originally set for 2027, will be hastened to within two years by allocating A$2.5 billion to the military project, Defense Minister Richard Marles said.
That represents a more than doubling in funding, which is being diverted from cancelled defense projects.
“That does radically shift the timeframe forward, in terms of a manufacturing capability,” Marles said in a television interview, according to Reuters.
A further A$1.6 billion will be spent on purchasing long-range strike systems from overseas within two years, he said.
The government was already in talks with missile manufacturers Raytheon and Lockheed about establishing production in Australia, Marles added.
He said discussions were also being held with Kongsberg, the Norwegian manufacturer of the naval strike missile Australia had already agreed to purchase.
