 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace anddefence |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people |
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Number of employees | Approximately 4,000[1] |
| Parent | BAE Systems |
| Divisions | BAE Systems Maritime Australia |
| Website | www.baesystems.com/en-aus/home |
BAE Systems Australia, a subsidiary ofBAE Systems, is one of the largestdefence contractors in Australia. It was formed by the merger ofBritish Aerospace Australia andGEC-Marconi Systems and expanded by the acquisitions ofArmor Holdings in 2007 andTenix Defence in June 2008.
BAE Systems' Australian heritage dates back to testing of the first generation air defence missile systems at theWoomera Test Range in the early 1950s. Weapons testing at Woomera began in 1953 by theBristol Aeroplane Company andEnglish Electric. Both companies merged to become theBritish Aircraft Corporation (BAC). In 1977, BAC was nationalised and operations in Australia were renamedBritish Aerospace Australia.
British Aerospace Australia doubled in size in April 1996 with the purchase of AWA Defence Industries (AWADI).[2] AWADI was formed in October 1988 by the merger of the defence electronics business ofAWA,Thorn EMI Electronics Australia andFairey Australasia.[3]
BAE Systems was formed on 30 November 1999, following the merger of British Aerospace with theGeneral Electric Company's (GEC) defence arm,Marconi Electronic Systems. BAE Systems Australia expanded with its parent company's acquisition ofArmor Holdings in 2007 and doubled in size with the purchase ofTenix Defence in June 2008.
BAE Systems Australia provides many products and services to theAustralian Defence Force (ADF) including: Fast Jet support, Military Flight Training, Autonomous Systems, Guided Weapons (naval air defence) and Communications, Command & Support.
BAE Systems Australia operates two business units: Aerospace and Maritime & Integrated Systems (M&IS).[4]
BAE Systems inherited theCanberra-class landing helicopter dock project from Tenix Defence.
On 22 October 2008, BAE Systems was selected to continue with theRoyal Australian Navy's Guided Missile Frigate Maintenance Contract (FFG IMS). BAE Systems replaced the existing companyThales Australia on 1 January 2009. This contract is expected to run until the last guided missile frigate (HMAS Newcastle) is decommissioned in 2021.
BAE Systems' bid for work on theHobart-class destroyers was rejected in May 2009, when the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance subcontracted 70% of construction of the destroyers toNQEA and theForgacs Marine & Defence.[5] However, on 29 June 2009, the work allocated to NQEA was transferred to BAE Systems Australia due to the former being unable to meet its financial obligations to the project.[6][7] BAE Systems will build a total of 36 blocks for the three destroyers atWilliamstown Dockyard. These are the hull machinery compartments, and bow and stern sections of the ships.[8]
BAE Systems was announced on 29 June 2018 as the preferred tenderer to build theHunter-class frigates, throughASC Shipbuilding and building the nine ships inSouth Australia.[9][10]
ASC Shipbuilding was acquired by BAE Systems in December 2018, and renamed to BAE Systems Maritime Australia in 2021.[11]
BAE Systems, along with several other defence contractors, is developing theMQ-28 Ghost Bat. They have also showcased the STRIX VSTOL drone at theAustralian International Airshow.[12][13]
BAE Australia is also developing the Razer low-costPGM for the RAAF and export customers, and has gone through trials as of January 2025. The Razer is designed, developed and manufactured in Australia.[14]
BAE Systems Australia is headquartered atEdinburgh Parks,South Australia. As of 19 November 2015[update] the company employs approximately 4,000 people Australia-wide.[1] BAE Systems Australia's partner charity since 2015 is Soldier On with whom they work to support the health, employment and rehabilitation of Australia's veterans, service personnel and their families.[15]
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