BAE Systems, EXPAL team for Australian munitions

BAE Systems has announced a new teaming arrangement with EXPAL Systems for Australia’s Domestic Munitions Manufacturing Arrangements (DMMA) project. The arrangement will see the companies bid jointly for DMMA projects, with BAE Systems Australia as the prime contractor and EXPAL Systems as its principal sub-contractor and partner.

The DMMA Project Office was established in 2010 and is responsible for determining successor arrangements to the Strategic Agreement for Munitions Supply (SAMS) and the Mulwala Agreement (MA), both of which are due to expire in June 2015. In particular, the DMMA projects seek to re-structure the way in which selected non-guided munitions are supplied to the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and how the domestic production capabilities at Mulwala and Benalla can be used more effectively and efficiently.

BAE Systems brings to DMMA the strength of its munitions manufacturing business in the UK, and explosives and propellants development and production in the US. Expal Systems, part of the MAXAM Group, is a global supplier of munitions and energetic materials, and brings significant operational expertise and considerable market access to the partnership. 

David Allott, BAE Systems Australia chief executive, said: ‘BAE Systems is a major developer and producer of a wide range of munitions products in the US and UK, where we have recently transformed the nature of our operations. Our business and that of EXPAL System’s is highly complementary and we also have a history of working together in the UK and US.’

Francisco Torrente, chairman of the board of directors for EXPAL Systems added: ‘EXPAL Systems has been developing and manufacturing munitions, explosives and propellants for over 140 years and today we have operations throughout Europe. Together with our advanced demilitarisation technologies and MAXAM Group, the second largest global supplier of civil explosives, facilities in 45 countries, operating in more than 100 countries and in Australia since 1989, we believe we have a team with all of the capabilities needed for DMMA.’