Thales Australia awarded torpedo support contract
The MU90 Light Weight Torpedo is made by a collaboration of Leonardo, Naval Group and Thales. (Photo: Thales Australia)
Australian Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said the sustainment contracted ‘reflected’ the Government’s continued support of the country’s defence industry.
The Australian Government has awarded Thales Australia a $20m contract to maintain the RAN’s MU90 Light Weight torpedo.
The company welcomed the three-year contract renewal, which will be delivered using 100% Australian industrial capability.
The MU90 Light Weight Torpedo has been in RAN service since 2013. For its entire service, Thales has held the support contract for the weapon.
Price added the award was a demonstration of the ‘Government’s commitment to building our sovereign defence capability,’
Thales says it has built a sovereign industrial capability to ensure Australia can fully support the MU90 torpedo.
Shephard Defence Insight notes the MU90 is manufactured in collaboration between Leonardo, Naval Group and Thales.
Over 1,000 of the fire-and-forget torpedoes have been manufactured, with most procured by NATO member states.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
