Thales Australia and Expal join forces on sovereign naval munitions capability
Royal Australian Navy five-inch naval gun. (Photo: Commonwealth of Australia)
Amid broader Australian efforts to enhance sovereign defence manufacturing capabilities, Thales Australia has signed a collaboration agreement with Spanish company Expal Systems to produce ammunition for five-inch (127mm) naval guns and advanced fuzes.
The new agreement includes technology transfer to Australia and intellectual property transfer to ‘support the development of new manufacturing processes that will enable the local production of critical munitions’, Thales Australia explained on 29 June.
Expal and Thales already separately provide the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with ammunition for its five-inch guns, but the new agreement will see the two companies provide improved on-demand access and ‘greater surety of supply’, Thales noted.
In addition, Expal and Thales agreed to an ‘extensive’ R&D programme to give the Australian Defence Force a technology enhancement roadmap for five-inch munitions, with a focus on extending the range, reducing sensitivity and providing a precision strike capability.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Lockheed Martin strengthens Spanish SPY-7 radar supply chain
The global defence giant chose a Spanish firm for its work on the Bonifaz-class frigate.
-
Oostende mine countermeasures vessel begins sea trials
The first vessel in the Belgian-Dutch rMCM mine-clearing fleet, the Oostende, has begun its sea trials before officially entering service in 2025.
-
US Navy places $312 million contract with Textron Systems for landing craft
Textron’s latest order for Ship to Shore Connector (SSC), Landing Craft, Air Cushion (LCAC) follows on from a contract placed in August 2023 for five LCAC.
-
Japan to boost surface fleet with new destroyers and missile ships
Japan is enhancing its naval capabilities with the construction of the 13DDX advanced destroyer and Aegis System Equipped Vessels (AESV), aiming to strengthen its air and missile defence amid increasing security threats, particularly in East Asia.