Australia, Kongsberg to Build Long-Range Missiles in Newcastle
(Bloomberg) -- Australia will invest up to A$850 million ($573 million) in partnership with Kongsberg Gruppen ASA to manufacture long-range missiles in the city of Newcastle, north of Sydney.
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The new plant will build and service Naval Strike Missiles and Joint Strike Missiles for the Australian military, Pat Conroy, minister for defense industry, said in a statement on Thursday.
The Joint Strike Missile — which can be fitted to the F-35A aircraft — and Naval Strike Missiles are modern anti-ship cruise missiles designed to attack enemy warships. Both can also be deployed against land-based targets, Conroy said.
“This is about investing in our advanced, high-tech manufacturing industry and developing our sovereign defense industrial base in areas which have been identified as strategic priorities,” he said in the statement.
Australia has been retooling its defense capabilities in recent years and integrating more closely with the US and other allies as the Asia-Pacific region turns more contested with the rise of China.
Construction of the missile factory is due to start later this year in the Newcastle Airport precinct and once complete is expected to employ about 100 people, according to the government.
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