Australia pushes for sovereign guided weapons capability
A F/A-18 Hornet flying with one 2000lb Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) "Smart Bomb". (RAAF)
Following a government announcement in March 2021 to develop an Australian guided weapons capability, a Request for Information has been released to kick start industrial engagement.
The Australian government is setting up a new Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise worth A$1 billion ($730 million).
Canberra wants to establish the technological know-how and industrial capacity to support and develop guided weapons and explosive ordnance (GWEO) in Australia. Currently it has to draw on these capabilities from overseas.
The latest announcement represents another step in Australian ambitions to bring more key defence industrial capabilities into Australia.
The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) in the Department of Defence is leading industry engagement to develop a strategy and find industrial partners to take forward a project.
On 12 July, CASG released
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