Australia to build GMLRS at Pt Wakefield

Australia will start manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) All Up Rounds and Launch Pod Containers this month after the opening of a new factory near Defence’s Proof and Experimental Establishment at Port Wakefield, South Australia. Lockheed Martin Australia and Defence will jointly commence production of the GMLRS at the facility by the end of 2025. This achievement deepens Australia–United States defence ties and opens significant export opportunities, says Defence.

The GMLRS missile is a precision strike weapon with a range of more than 70km that is launched from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launch vehicle. The Australian Army received its first HiMARS in March this year and has ordered 42 of the launch vehicles.

This will be the second facility in the world to produce GMLRS, which is currently made only at Lockheed Martin’s facility in East Camden, Arkansas. Lockheed Martin is expected to test fire an Australian-assembled GMLRS in Australia before the end of the current calendar year.

The fit-out of the Defence-owned Port Wakefield Missile Assembly Facility was completed as part of the Guided Weapons Production Capability Risk Reduction Activity, in line with the objectives of the Australian Government’s Guided Weapons and Explosives Ordnance (GWEO) Plan. This Risk Reduction Activity provides a mechanism for swift knowledge and technology transfer and serves as a risk mitigator and pathfinder to future manufacturing in Australia of other weapons such as the 500km-range Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).

“We are committed to establishing a viable and sustainable guided weapons manufacturing industry in Australia,” said James Heading, Director and General Manager, Missiles and Fire Control, Lockheed Martin Australia.

The new facility will eventually be able to produce 4,000 GMLRS missiles a year; the East Camden plant is building up to a rate of 14,000 a year by 2026. 4,000 missiles a year is more than the Australian Army can use, but sales to the US Army and approved export customers are expected to soak up the excess. It’s not known how many PrSM missiles will be manufactured, nor when, but the Australian Army fired its first PrSM Increment 1 missile during EX Talisman Sabre 25 in August.

“The long‑term goal for Lockheed Martin Australia is to establish a robust, versatile, and resilient supply chain where we are self‑sufficient and can rely upon Australian industry to deliver what is needed in support of the GWEO Plan,” Heading added.

“The opening of this GMLRS manufacturing facility in Port Wakefield represents a transformative milestone in US-Australia defence cooperation,” said Patrick Mason, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation.

“Our nations’ goal to collaborate on guided weapons manufacturing exemplifies the deep trust and interoperability that defines our alliance, while potentially creating new opportunities for both countries to support partners across the Indo-Pacific region.”

The announcement meets the production schedule outlined by the government last year, says Defence in a media release. The factory, designed and built by Intract Australia, an Indigenous-owned and -operated company, was completed in just under seven months.

“The completion of this state-of-the-art facility marks a key milestone for the Australian Government’s GWEO Enterprise,” said Paula Hartley, Lockheed Martin’s Vice President Tactical Missiles. “By establishing domestic production of GMLRS, we are strengthening sovereign capability, ensuring full compatibility with US inventories.

“Starting missile production in Australia this year is a major step in building the industrial strength our nation needs,” according to Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. “It’s about creating advanced manufacturing capability that will serve Australia for decades to come.

“This factory is part of a bigger picture – growing a high-tech industry that supports skilled jobs, drives innovation and strengthens Australia’s economy. It’s a clear example of what a future made in Australia looks like.”

For the past year a small team of Australian engineers has undergone specialised training at Lockheed Martin’s missile production facilities in the US, accelerating knowledge transfer and strengthening Australia’s sovereign defence capability. They have worked with their US and Australian colleagues to fit-out the Port Wakefield facility.

“The opening of this factory delivers on the Albanese Government’s commitment to establish a sovereign missile manufacturing industry,” says Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry. “It reaffirms our defence partnership with the United States, including our growing collaboration on guided weapons and explosive ordnance.”

Defence has not said yet where the Solid Rocket Motors for GMLS and other missiles it intends to acquire, will be manufactured, nor by whom.

This project forms part of the Defence’s investment of up to $21 billion over the decade to acquire more long-range strike systems and manufacture longer-range munitions in Australia.