Warren McDonald (Lockheed Martin)
Aerospace, defence and IT company Lockheed Martin has won the contracts to build sovereign military satellite communication for the Department of Defence.
The contracts, which, according to Austender, are worth roughly $3.3 billion for strategic planning and consultancy services over the next year.
Known as JP9102, the project will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a sovereign military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) system.
Lockheed Martin won the deal as part of a consortium consisting of Linfox, DXC Technology, Conscia, Av-Comm, Calytrix Technologies, EM Solutions, Shoal Group, Clearbox Systems, STEM Punks, and Ronson Gears.
The US-headquartered company beat consortium consisting of Northrop Grumman, Vocus, Inmarsat, L3 Harris, AECOM, Blacktree Technologies and EM Solutions, as well as Optus, Raytheon Australian and Thales Australia.
“We are proud to be selected as the preferred bidder to deliver this critical capability to the Australian Defence Force," said Warren McDonald, CEO of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand.
“This capability will provide the Australian Defence Force with robust connectivity and reliable information when and where they need it, and by extension, contribute further to the growth and development of Australia’s defence and space industries.”
Lockheed Martin has also partnered with the Victorian Government to establish Victoria as the engineering and technical hub for the company’s JP9102 solution, an investment that will create more than 200 advanced space industry jobs in the state.
It recently launched a space-focused education program with STEM Punks, a STEM education initiative to educate, upskill and inspire Australia’s future workforce.
