‘We can get this done quickly’: Australia set to build its own missiles

The Albanese government wants Australia to urgently begin manufacturing its own missiles, saying the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the need for supplies to be available swiftly and not dependent on imports.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the government was working on a plan with defence companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to develop a sovereign missile manufacturing industry.

Australia currently imports almost all its missiles from overseas.Credit: US Department of Defence

Australia currently imports its missiles from overseas, mostly from the United States.

“The lessons from the Ukraine war are that we use missile stocks [and] particularly guided weapons very fast in a conflict,” Conroy said.

“And quite frankly we need more missiles in Australia, both as a stock and also the ability to maintain, repair and upgrade those missiles.”

Under a process launched by the previous government, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon will soon report back on opportunities for Australia to manufacture parts or entire missiles.

“I’m confident that at the end of this process we will have a much more sovereign capability to manufacture and upgrade missiles which are so important,” Conroy said.

The US government announced earlier this year it had approved a sale to Australia of Lockheed Martin’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System for $545 million, which has played a crucial role in Ukraine’s military success against Russia.

James Heading, Lockheed Martin’s Australia programs director, said the company was exploring whether the missiles for the system could be made in Australia.

Australia was more than capable of producing the critical guidance system for the missiles, he said.

Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the war in Ukraine showed why local manufacturing of missiles was important.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Conroy told a defence industry conference in Washington that Australia already produces high-quality explosives and advanced military sensors.

“Bringing these elements together to build advanced missiles is a serious, long-term endeavour that has the rock-solid backing of the Australian government,” Conroy said.

“It’s good for Australia and it’s good for the US because it will build Australia’s guided weapons stores and deliver a trusted second source of critical munitions supply to the US.

“We can get this done quickly and efficiently – by pooling our expertise.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently told this masthead Australia needed to acquire hypersonic missiles because it currently had no long-range strike capability.

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie said last month Australia should develop its own missile systems, warning the nation’s strategic outlook was “very bleak”.

Graeme Dunk, head of strategy at defence consulting firm Shoal Group, said designing and building hypersonic missiles should be a priority for the Australian Defence Force.

“Missiles have a shelf life so we have to keep the shelf restocked,” he said.

“If, God forbid, a situation arises where we have to use them, there’s a risk we could be left with nothing if we solely rely on imports.”

Most missiles can only be stored for 10 to 20 years, meaning they need to be regularly replaced.

While importing missiles may be cheaper, Dunk said the national security benefits of a sovereign manufacturing industry were significant.

“What is the cost of not manufacturing our own missiles and not being able to use them when we need them?” he asked.

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