Defence purchases more GMLRS and signs Ammunition MoU with US

Australia will manufacture guided  missiles and 155mm artillery shells in-country from 2025, with Australia and the United States signing two memoranda of understanding.

The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Co-Assembly agreement enables the assembly of a first batch of munitions in Australia in 2025 and represents a key milestone towards co-production of viable volumes of  GMLRS in Australia for global consumption.

Meanwhile, the 155mm Ammunition Co-Production MoU authorises the transfer of United States intellectual property, and aligns production standards for 155mm artillery ammunition, enabling greater cooperation on munitions between the Australian Defence Force and the US Army and Marine Corps.

“This announcement delivers on the Albanese Government’s commitment to a future made in Australia,” said Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and Capability Delivery. “The Albanese Government is committed to reprioritising Defence capabilities in line with the National Defence Strategy, including developing the ADF’s ability to precisely strike targets at longer range.

“This is an important step towards the establishment of domestic guided weapons manufacturing in Australia. It will complement the acquisition of long-range precision-strike capabilities and strengthen the ADF’s ability to protect Australia and its interests.”

The announcement of the two MOUs comes as the United States has also granted Congressional approval for the $147 million purchase under a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) agreement of more than 300 GMLRS rounds to Australia.

Defence also said in a statement it has moved quickly towards establishing a local guided missile manufacturing facility through Defence’s partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia. The first test firing of an Australian-assembled GMLRS is scheduled to take place later this financial year, though full-rate production is still some way off.

Under the Government’s plans, new manufacturing facilities will be constructed, capable of manufacturing up to 4,000 GMLRS a year from 2029. They include a GMLRS plant and a Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) manufacturing facility. The sites for these new facilities haven’t been disclosed as yet. It’s understood that Lockheed Martin Australia will work initially from the Defence ordnance facility at Orchard Hills in the west of Sydney until the new facility is ready.

At the AUSMIN talks in 2023, the United States affirmed its support for Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise and plans to produce viable volumes of GMLRS for global consumption, establish a sovereign Australian SRM capability and manufacture future guided weapons.

The United States also acknowledged Australia’s GWEO Enterprise provides a pathway for the co-development, co-production and co-sustainment of critical long‑range fires and the component supply chains for both nations, Defence’s statement adds.

These projects are part of the Albanese Government’s acceleration of longer-range strike capabilities in line with the 2024 National Defence Strategy and underpinned by tens of billions of dollars, including the $16-21 billion investment to establish the GWEO Enterprise and sovereign munitions manufacturing capabilities in Australia.