Defence’s continued investment in Australian industry is helping build the sovereign capabilities and skilled workforce needed to support the ADF now and into the future.
This investment is evident in a recent Defence Industry Development Grant supporting the expansion of aerospace sustainment capability in regional NSW.
This $250,000 Defence Industry Development Grant supported the commission and installation of specialist infrastructure at Australian Aerospace Engineering’s (AAE) new 1900-square-metre facility in Albury. The new infrastructure has expanded AAE’s maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), manufacturing and engineering capabilities in support of Defence aviation requirements.
The investment reflects the objectives of the 2026 Defence Industry Development Strategy, which emphasises the importance of developing a resilient, innovative and capable Australian defence industrial base that can contribute to sovereign defence industrial priorities and strengthen national preparedness.
Since 2018, AAE has worked with Defence to progress through several stages of capability development. Defence grant programs have supported the company’s growth, from achieving aerospace quality certification through to developing specialist capabilities that support expansion of aerospace maintenance capacity.
‘Investments like this help create the skilled workforce, industrial capacity and resilient supply chains identified in the Defence Industry Development Strategy – essential to Australia’s future defence capability.’
The expanded capability has also secured AAE’s inclusion on Lockheed Martin Australia’s approved MRO network and approved supplier list for a range of aerospace components, increasing Australian industry participation in Defence supply chains and sustainment activities.
Defence Industry Development Grant Director Dwayne Kirk said the outcome demonstrated how Defence and industry work together to deliver long-term sovereign capability.
“AAE is an excellent example of how a small SME has built its value over time by focusing on quality, skills and capability that align to specific needs in a sovereign defence industrial priority area,” Dr Kirk said.
“Through the Defence Industry Development Grants program, Defence is helping Australian businesses invest in the infrastructure, workforce and technical capabilities needed to support Defence outcomes and participate in critical supply chains.
“Building sovereign capability requires sustained collaboration between Defence, primes and Australian industry. Investments like this help create the skilled workforce, industrial capacity and resilient supply chains identified in the Defence Industry Development Strategy – essential to Australia’s future defence capability.
“The project highlights the role Defence grant programs play in strengthening Australia’s industrial base, growing regional capability and ensuring Australian businesses can contribute to the delivery and sustainment of critical Defence capability.”
