Pat Conroy from Australias defense sector pointed to Chinas recent missile test as a key reason for boosting the nations defense setup. The test (which happened last fall) sent an ICBM flying over 11‚000km into the South Pacific - a move that didnt sit well with regional peace agreements
Australia plans to spend roughly 74-billion AUD through the early-2030s on missiles and related tech. The country is setting-up several home-based production sites:
- A guided-rocket factory with Lockheed Martin making 4000 units yearly
- Artillery shell production with Thales in Benalla starting 2028
- Naval missile manufacturing with Kongsberg in Newcastle
The nations Navy is getting new tools too - theyre putting SM-6 missiles on destroyers and will have long-range Tomahawks (that can hit targets 2500km away) by years end. “We must show that hostile acts against Australia would not succeed“ Conroy said in his speech to reporters
The push comes as the Indo-Pacific enters what experts call a “new missile age“. Australia is working with its partners - US Japan and South Korea to keep things stable in the region. The Ukraine situation shows why local production matters; they used about 10k artillery shells daily last year which was more than Europe could make
Looking at supply chains Conroy noted: “Australia needs not only to acquire more missiles but to make more here at home“. The countryʼs working to be less dependent on outside sources; the Benalla facility will be the first artillery forge outside America (and itʼll make up to 100k rounds yearly)