Latest News from ADA-Vic

Hi Juanita,

Yesterday Australia's largest defence industry exhibition, Land Forces 2022, came to a close.

It was fantastic to see so many of our members up in Brisbane and being amongst the 810 participating exhibitor companies. The event was a great opportunity for businesses to work together to meet the defence industry challenges facing Australia.

It was great to see Rheinmetall and Hanwha at the exhibition, however, it was disappointing to hear that Defence’s LAND 400 Phase 3 infantry vehicles contract has been officially delayed. Hanwha Defence Australia's Redback Infantry Fighting Vehicles are competing against Rheinmetall's Lynx KF41 Infantry Fighting Vehicles. The winner of the contract was to be announced in September but there are now concerns that the whole project may be scaled back or even potentially shelved. We will keep you up to date on developments.

For those of you who were in Brisbane, we hope it was a great success and look forward to more of your stories.

Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP, urges Australian Industry to Join Defence Mission

Australian businesses and industry have the opportunity to participate in the next generation of contracts to deliver base services around Australia and support Defence’s key capabilities.

It follows the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for a fourth generation of contracts.

Assistant Minister for Defence, the Hon Matt Thistlethwaite MP said the contracts covered multiple sectors across industry and represented an investment in the Australian economy of around $1.7 billion annually.

Current contracts for base services are due to expire in mid-2024.

Industry can go to AusTender for more information.

Lockheed Martin Calling for Australian Businesses to Register Interest

Lockheed Martin has launched a new initiative to find Australian businesses that can help the sustainment of the Navy's expanding Seahawk fleet and Army’s proposed Black Hawk fleet.

The prime is calling for potential suppliers with “homegrown talent and expertise” to expand current workforce employed on Sikorsky helicopters.

Interested businesses can register an expression of interest in its Australian Industry Capability Network (ICN) Gateway until the end of June 2023.

Lockheed Martin Australia said it was calling for suppliers with experience in manufacturing of aero-mechanical components and aerostructures, aerospace component maintenance and repair, development of logistics and engineering management tools.

Defence Rolls Out New Equipment for ADF Personnel

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is rolling out a range of purpose-designed equipment to better serve the needs of individual ADF members and improve combatant effectiveness in the field.

The new equipment, being introduced by the Fit to Perform project, includes helmets, boots, packs, uniforms, sleeping bags, body armour and medical kits.

New military equipment currently available includes:

women’s and unisex combat boots, with improved shape and better weight distribution to help reduce the potential for injuries in operations and training;
smaller-sized sleeping bags that are lighter and require less space;
protective undergarment for women to prevent breast tissue injuries; and
an interchangeable helmet harness to accommodate longer hairstyles

Equipment ready to be introduced, or under development, includes:

a smaller-sized combat helmet;
new Australian Multi-Cam Uniforms designed for women;
smaller field packs better suited to smaller frames;
combat body armour to accommodate different body types;
a field hygiene pouch that assists with the carriage of toiletries including a personal female field device; and
a new medical pack for medics.

Diggerworks, part of Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, is leading the Fit to Perform project, working in collaboration with Defence partners, including the Defence Science and Technology Group and Australian industry.

NIOA Prime Contractor for Delivery of Weapon Systems Under the ADF’s Lethality Systems project LAND 159 Tranche 1

NIOA has welcomed its formal appointment as prime contractor for delivery of weapon systems under the Australian Defence Force’s Lethality Systems project LAND 159 Tranche 1.

CEO Robert Nioa said the announcement by Head Land Systems, Major General Andrew Bottrell, in the lead up to the Land Forces 2022 Exposition which begins in Brisbane on Tuesday represented an important milestone as Tranche 1 of the Lethality Systems project entered the acquisition phase.

Tranche 1 will deliver next generation sniper and close combat capabilities to ensure Australian Defence Force ground combatants maintain a capability advantage over potential adversaries to beyond 2030.

Capabilities include new sniper systems, surveillance and target acquisition devices, pistols, shotguns, fighting knives, personal defence weapons, munitions and an assault breaching system.

Prince's Trust Austrlia Inaugural Beyond Service Award Winners Announced

Prince’s Trust Australia is delighted to announce the inaugural winners of the Beyond Service Awards for 2022.

The Awards are an opportunity to recognise the depth and breadth of skills and experience veterans and Defence Force families bring to Australia’s small business landscape.

Please find attached a media release and image with accompanying video links below. Additional hi-res imagery is available upon request.

Commonwealth Bank Business of the Year Award Winner andEnvironmental Warrior Award Winner

Stuart Alexander: https://vimeo.com/756239135

Power of One Award Winner

Matt Lewis: https://vimeo.com/756239739

New Mission Award Winner

David Ballantyne: https://vimeo.com/756239435

Defence Family Business Award Winner

Bec Waller (posthumous): https://vimeo.com/756238673

ADA-Vic 2022
Annual Networking & Golf Day
Friday, 9th December at the Medway Golf Club

This event will consist of a morning session of networking and industry briefings, set amongst an amazing backdrop with morning tea and lunch. For the golfers, and also the non-golfers amongst us, there will be an Ambrose golf competition in the afternoon and then a dinner and further networking in the evening.

This will be an enjoyable and informative day with the opportunity to meet others in Defence.

From Defence:  

Applications for in the 2023 edition of the Australian Defence Sales Catalogue are open to Australian defence industry companies. Applications close at 23:59 AEDT on 6 November 2022. See more here.
Expressions of Interest to participate in the Australian industry delegation to Vietnam International Defence Expo 2022 held at Hanoi, Vietnam have been extended to Sunday 9 October. The event will run from 8–10 December 2022. Submit an EOI here.
The Defence Innovation Hub has awarded contracts worth $27 million to ten Australian businesses, including $874,000 to Tectonica, a Victorian-based company to develop a sophisticated rifle mounted sensor using thermal weapon sight that could improve shot accuracy for soldiers during the day or night. See more here.

Other News:

SPEE3D, based in Victoria and NT, has successfully printed metal parts aboard a US Navy ship. WarpSPEED 3D printers manufacture a bronze anchor five times while at sea, with each produced in six minutes. See more here.
Monash University – along with CSIRO, RMIT University, the Australian Synchrotron – published research that may lead to the production of novel, ultra-hard diamonds in space rocks that may be able to be manufactured for use in industrial applications. See more here.
Melbourne-based defence company APV completes crash-test program with Ford Australia after investing $3 million in new equipment for the project. APV plans to leverage its experience in major projects in the land domain to attract more defence work. See more here.
Defence Science Institute farewells Claire Davis and welcomes Callum Wright as the role of Associate Director. See more here.
Innovate to Grow Defence Victoria program applications are open until 3 October. The program is jointly funded by Defence Science Institute and is a free 10-week virtual program to support Victorian SMEs working on defence challenges or looking to move into the defence market. See more here.
ADM announced the 2022 Women in Defence Awards (WIDA) winners at the National Arboretum in Canberra. Victorian-born Rear Admiral Wendy Anne Malcolm of the Royal Australian Navy was the 2022 Hall of Fame recipient. See more information about the winners here.
Attached is an ADM’s list of Defence tenders. 
Attached is the TDA Information for Companies 2022.

  
Defence Industry Support Tools:

The Office of Defence Industry Support has several tools to support defence SMEs. The Defence Business Readiness Tool, the Digital Readiness Assessment Tool, and the Cyber Security Assessment Tool.

Upcoming Domestic Events:  

Reoccurring 2022 - Soldier On Coffee Catch Up Victoria. See more here.

4 - 6 October 2022 – Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition 2022. See more here. 
12 - 13 October 2022 – AOC 2022 Convention. See more here.

25 October 2022 - ADM Advanced Manufacturing in Defence Summit. See more here.
25 - 26 October 2022 - Defence Export Controls & ITARS Outreach Program. See more here.
3 November 2022 - Defence Industry Dinner & Award Ceremony. See more here.
7 - 9 November 2022 - SIA 11th Biennial Conference 2022. See more here.
9 November 2022 – ADM Defence Skilling Summit. See more here.

11 - 17 November 2022 – Maritime RobotX Challenge. See more here.  
28 – 30 November Defence Human Sciences Symposium. See more here.
1 December 2022 – ADM Space Summit. See more here.
28 February - 5 March 2023 – The AVALON Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition. See more here.

Links to Grant and other Programs:  

Please Note: This update is produced every two weeks by the Defence and Aerospace, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions. The date of this update was 28th September 2022.

In partnership with the Victorian State Government, Lockheed Martin Australia manages a secure facility designed to enable Victoria’s innovation community to better engage with classified Defence and National Security programs. The first facility of its type in Australia, the Victorian Common User Facility is a key initiative in creating new business opportunities for Victoria’s innovation sector.

For more information or to make CUF bookings, please email viccufbookings.gr-eo@lmco.com

Australian Defence Export Office Pitch Training Program

The ADEO, in partnership with Marketing Entourage, have created a five week online pitch training program specifically for businesses looking to export defence and dual use goods and services. This training is fully subsidised for Australian Defence Industry businesses.

The program is specifically designed to improve the chances of success for Australian defence industry companies when engaging with opportunities to pitch their capabilities to foreign military and military suppliers. The training is delivered through a series of webinars, online modules and one-to-one pitch practice sessions.

Australian Defence Industry businesses are encouraged to apply by registering their interest at the link below. Multiple people from the same business can be included as a single application. Limited spaces are available on each cohort and the ADEO will prioritise businesses who have recently participated in an industry delegation with TDA.

Click here to learn more about the Online Pitch Training Program and to register your interest.

In 2022, Human Performance Week brings together two events:

The Defence Human Sciences Symposium (DHSS), the principal Australian forum for those interested in the application of human sciences research to enhance Defence capability, an

The Human Performance Research Network Symposium (HPRnet). HPRnet is an established network of universities that draws together multidisciplinary teams from around the country who are co-invested in the delivery of significant outcomes for Defence. The symposium brings together existing network members and those with an interest in human performance to hear about the latest developments in human performance research for the military.