More than 950 jobs to be created by Saab Australia’s $77m defence hub at Mawson Lakes

Saab Australia will expand its Mawson Lakes HQ by 80 per cent to create a nation-first defence manufacturing and education hub. See the $77m plans here.

A new $77m defence manufacturing and education hub to be built in Adelaide will create almost 1000 jobs in just five years and help address serious industry-wide skills shortages.

Saab Australia will bring together some of the country’s most innovative small and medium companies to develop and manufacture world-leading naval defence software.

The federal government has invested $22.6m towards the new Combat System Collaboration Centre – the first of its kind in Australia.

Saab – investing $55m of its own cash – will begin construction on the hub this year, expanding its Mawson Lakes headquarters by a massive 80 per cent.

Saab Australia will expand its Mawson Lakes headquarters, building a new $75m Combat System Collaboration Centre to help boost Australia's sovereign manufacturing capabilities. Picture: Saab

Managing director Andy Keough said the centre would help small and medium companies break into long-term supply chains, ensuring Australia’s self-reliance for defence.

“The centre will provide a state-of-the-art facility to support Australia’s sovereign defence capability, address critical industry skills shortages, and help local (businesses) gain access to lucrative national and global defence supply chains,” he said.

The hub will include a combat systems school, offering courses in specialised software engineering and naval operations, addressing industry-wide skills shortages in those fields.

It will also feature production, prototyping and testing facilities that will boost domestic manufacturing and give local defence businesses easier access to hi-tech equipment.

SAAB Australia graduate managing director Andy Keough said the new hub will help address critical skills shortages in combat system engineering.

A combat-management system is vital computer software that enables naval crews to detect enemy vessels and control weapons in high-pressure battle scenarios.

Mr Keough said the hub’s construction process would support more than 500 jobs, while the new facilities would create an additional 450 jobs with Saab and the wider industry by 2027.

Industry Minister Angus Taylor said the project would lead to new export opportunities.

“We want more Australian businesses to contribute to local and international defence supply chains, and more Australia innovation and intellectual property to be contributed to … the ADF and other markets,” Mr Taylor he said.

Industry Minister Angus Taylor announced the federal government had invested $22.6m for the project.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the project would create more modern manufacturing jobs and “more export dollars for our state”.

“We’re making sure that South Australian defence businesses as well as our highly skilled engineers and designers come together, collaborate and develop world-leading technologies for the future,” he said.

It is the third SA investment made with the federal government’s $1.3bn Modern Manufacturing Initiative fund to be announced in just one week.

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