By Leo D’Angelo Fisher
Top stories:
Lockheed Martin announces next CEO for Australia and NZ South Australian businesses benefit from $65 million Hunter Class frigate facility $10 million helicopter contract creates regional NSW jobs
Lockheed Martin announces next CEO for Australia and NZ
Former Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force, Retired Air Marshal Warren McDonald, will join the leadership team of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand on 1 July ahead of assuming the role of CEO later in the year.
Joe North will remain as chief executive until the transition occurs.
In a career of more than 40 years with the RAAF, Mr McDonald was most recently appointed the inaugural Chief of Joint Capabilities which saw him lead the coordination and integration of capabilities across the Australian Defence Force.
Ray Piselli, Vice-President International Business, Lockheed Martin Global Business Development, says Mr McDonald’s appointment “reinforces Lockheed Martin’s continued commitment to working side by side with our customer in Australia to develop and advance the critical capabilities needed to remain ahead of our adversaries as the battlespace becomes more complex across every domain”.
“Warren’s service will bring unique insights, experience and expertise as we support the customer to realise the vision for a fully integrated, networked defence force to achieve the military superiority necessary to meet challenges of the 21st century battlefield,” Mr Piselli says.
Mr McDonald says he joins Lockheed Martin at “a critical period for the modernisation of Australia’s defence capability and at a time of evolving strategic threats”.
Warren McDonald began his career in the RAAF as an enlisted technical apprentice in 1979. In 1989, he was commissioned and later graduated as a pilot, logging over 5000 hours in the P-3 Orion. His rotational assignments included Squadron, Wing and Group appointments and numerous deployed commands.
Mr McDonald was appointed inaugural Chief of Joint Capabilities in 2017. The Joint Capabilities Group supports the Army, Navy and Air Force by providing capabilities such as logistics, education, health and military police. The group is also responsible for supporting cyber, data link and satellite capabilities.
South Australian businesses benefit from $65 million Hunter Class frigate facility
The Australian government will invest $65 million for the construction of a land-based test facility for the Royal Australian Navy’s new Hunter Class frigates.
The test facility will enable the testing and integration of the combat systems for the Hunter program, which is delivering nine anti-submarine warfare frigates.
Hansen Yuncken has been engaged as the head contractor to build the test facility at the St Kilda Transmitting Station in South Australia.
The facilities will support the operation of the Navy’s new ships under the 2017 Naval Shipbuilding Plan.
Completion of the facility is expected by early 2023. At its peak the project will create up to 180 jobs at businesses across greater Adelaide.
$10 million helicopter contract creates regional NSW jobs
Lockheed Martin company Sikorsky Australia has been selected by the United States Navy to provide additional support to the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of MH-60R Romeo multi-mission helicopters.
The helicopters were acquired from the US Navy and entered into service in 2013.
Sustainment for the fleet of 24 Romeo helicopters is delivered in Australia through a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US Navy.
Under the $10 million contract expansion Sikorsky will deliver sustainment support and maintenance to the Romeo helicopter fleet at its maintenance, repair and operations facility in Nowra, NSW. The contract will create 10 new jobs in NSW’s Shoalhaven region.
Leo D'Angelo Fisher is a regular columnist and Editor-at-Large at Australian Veteran News. Connect with him on Twitter: @DAngeloFisher.