Lockheed Martin and Thales conduct warhead testing at Mulwala

Lockheed Martin Australia, in partnership with Thales Australia, has conducted the successful test detonation of four locally designed warheads at the government-owned Mulwala munitions facility in NSW. It’s understood that these included Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, or GMLRS, relevant warheads

The results of the test firing exceeded all expectations, says Lockheed Martin Australia. This Internal Research and Development project will position the two partners to present options for the Commonwealth in the future stages of the Guided Weapons Production Capability industry uplift activity in 2025, the company says. The first flight test of an Australian-assembled GMLRS will take place in 2025 and Defence and Lockheed Martin will build a facility at an as yet undisclosed location to build up to 4,000 GMLRS rounds a year by 2029.

This activity is an important demonstration of Australian industry’s ability to design, manufacture and test production-quality representative warhead technologies and a significant step on the path to a domestic guided weapon warhead production capability, the company says. It is also the first test conducted under the Teaming Agreement the two companies signed in September to advance the development and production of solid rocket motors and warheads for the GMLRS.

Earlier, in 2021, the two companies signed a Teaming Agreement to cooperate in the design, development and production of Lockheed Martin’s Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile – Surface Launch variant, with a specific focus on booster and rocket motor technologies.

“This successful demonstration of a GMLRS-relevant high explosive warhead underscores the accelerated progress achieved through our collaborative Teaming Agreement with Lockheed Martin,” said Duncan Watt, Thales Australia’s Key Account Manager for Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance. “This is a significant step towards our vision of establishing domestic manufacturing capabilities for guided weapon warheads in Australia”.

James Heading, Director and General Manager, Missiles and Fire Control, Lockheed Martin Australia, emphasised the importance of the project in supporting the Australian government’s objectives under Defence’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, and building a sustainable industry base in Australia.

The warhead tests saw the use of a range of new materials and manufacturing techniques and the comparative testing of multiple designs, which will serve as the foundation for future developments. The rapid development of the demonstrator program, completed within just 10 weeks, highlights the advanced technical capabilities and strong working relationship between Lockheed Martin and Thales, says Lockheed Martin Australia.

Since 2020, Thales has managed Defence’s Strategic Domestic Munitions Manufacturing (SDMM) capability, guaranteeing the Australian manufacture and supply of strategic munitions to the Australian Defence Force.