13 October 2020

Raytheon Australia announces regional S-100 manufacturing hub

by Jon Grevatt

Raytheon Australia has announced that the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales will become the “Asia-Pacific manufacturing and sustainment hub” for the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter unmanned aerial system (UAS) if the platform is selected to meet an Australian Army requirement under the Land 129 Phase 3 programme.

In a statement on 13 October, Raytheon Australia said the selection of Shoalhaven would look to leverage its regional profile and its partnerships with three companies based in the city of Nowra: Schiebel’s local subsidiary, Schiebel Pacific Limited; Air Affairs Australia; and Innovation Composites.

Raytheon Australia has said it will build the Schiebel S-100 Camcopter in the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales if the platform is selected for a programme with the Australian Army. (Schiebel)

Raytheon Australia added that the establishment of the production centre “will see about AUD50 million (USD36 million) injected into the local Shoalhaven economy over the life of the programme” if the S-100 is selected for the Land 129 Phase 3 contract.

In September Raytheon Australia said it had lined up partnerships with 10 local companies to support its bid. In addition to the three in Nowra, these include MMCLD (Sydney), Calytrix (Perth), Penten (Canberra), Varley (Newcastle), Sentient Vision (Melbourne), Rojone (Sydney), and Thomas Global (Sydney).

Earlier, the company also said its offering for the Land 129 Phase 3 programme will enable 150 jobs and “prioritised regional investments”. It added that the offering promotes local manufacturing, with the S-100 to be “assembled, and parts to be sourced and manufactured, in-country”.

Raytheon Australia has announced that the Shoalhaven region in New South Wales will become the “Asia...

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