Defence awards two contracts worth $61.5 million under ASCA Mission 1

Defence is investing $61.5 million with two undisclosed companies, in Adelaide and Brisbane, to support the rapid development of technology to degrade an adversary’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) systems.

Developed under the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator’s (ASCA) Mission 1, the project has now moved to delivery phase which will see the two Australian companies continue to develop their IAMD technology to give the ADF a capability edge, says Defence. The ability to degrade IAMD systems of potential adversaries at long ranges is a capability priority for the ADF identified in the National Defence Strategy (NDS).

The next phase of ASCA Mission 1 – named Black Thorn – is also a pivotal milestone for ASCA. After 18 months of learning, ASCA is refining its operating model and delivering a new, agile approach to rapidly deliver the next generation of technology for Defence.

“We are proud to work with innovative Australian companies that play a critical role in developing technology that can give the ADF a capability edge over a much bigger and more powerful adversary,” said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery.

This initial investment of $61.5 million followed an open approach to market which resulted in funding of nine companies to undertake a co-design effort. ASCA has now entered 12-month contracts with two of the companies to further develop and demonstrate the capability. ASCA was established to accelerate delivery of capabilities to the ADF including by supporting and investing in emerging and disruptive technologies and nurturing innovations that address priority capability needs.

Due to security sensitivities, the identity of the companies and details of the technologies involved will not be publicly disclosed at this stage, according to Defence. Nor will details of the acquisition methodology being pursued by Defence.