newy.com.au – Lockheed Martin Australia has begun work on an $85.9 million Air Power Precinct at Williamtown, the Hunter facility expected to support Australia’s integrated air and missile defence capability and F-35 sustainment operations.
The company marked the start of the project at a sod-turning ceremony on Friday with Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy and federal minister for Paterson Meryl Swanson. Australian-owned contractor Built is due to start construction immediately, with the precinct expected to be operational by 2028.
Lockheed Martin Australia says the purpose built National Integrated Air and Missile Defence Ecosystem will support next-generation systems and strengthen sovereign defence capability. The facilities will include dedicated areas for hardware assembly and installation, integration and validation, end-to-end testing, sovereign software sustainment and advanced training, including for Australia’s Joint Air Battle Management System.
The Williamtown precinct will also support Lockheed Martin Australia’s F-35 sustainment team, described by the company as its largest international F-35 sustainment operation. The project is intended to enable a dedicated canopy-repair capability in Australia, with diagnostic, repair and test infrastructure aimed at reducing reliance on overseas assistance and supporting Royal Australian Air Force operations and the wider F-35 supply chain.
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand chief executive Jeremy King said the investment reflected the company’s role in defence capability.
“As Defence’s strategic partner on AIR6500 and F‑35, we recognise our duty to uplift Australia’s defence industry from the ground up, turning skilled talent into critical capability,” Mr King said.
“This investment demonstrates our enduring commitment to Australia’s military readiness and sovereignty. By building a secure, world‑class Air Power Precinct we enhance coalition interoperability and safeguard our nation’s way of life through self‑reliance and advanced technology.”
Mr King said the precinct would also have an economic impact in the Hunter.
“For the Hunter region, the Lockheed Martin Australia precinct generates important economic benefits. It creates opportunity for jobs growth, small-to-medium enterprise innovation, reinforces supply chain resilience, and positions the Hunter defence community as a strategic hub in the Indo-Pacific F-35 and IAMD ecosystem.”
The company says the project will generate more than 200 jobs during construction, create more than 60 new aerospace jobs and sustain more than 230 ongoing highly skilled engineering and technical roles once operational. It is also expected to create opportunities for local suppliers and small-to-medium enterprises to take part in the defence supply chain.
Lockheed Martin Australia is headquartered in Canberra and employs more than 1900 people in Australia across aerospace, defence and civil sector programs.
Meanwhile some Newcastle activist groups have opposed the expansion of the military presence at Williamtown, arguing the Hunter’s transition should focus instead on renewables, healthcare, mine rehabilitation and housing.
