Townsville is set to be the home of a $31m military combat training centre
The Australian Army will continue to grow its close combat warfighting capabilities with a new $31m simulation centre to be built in Townsville
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THE Australian Army will continue to grow its close combat warfighting capabilities with a new $31m simulation centre to be built in Townsville.
Construction on the new facility is due to start this month and be fully operational by mid 2022.
The three-storey Armoured Vehicle Simulation Centre will be based at Lavarack Barracks to facilitate the newly upgraded M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank and incoming LAND 400 and LAND 8160 armoured vehicle capabilities.
The simulation centre will train soldiers in the driving, gunnery and tactics of operating the current and future armoured fighting vehicles of the Australian Defence Force.
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Comprising four projects, and with an estimated combined program cost of between $14bn and $20bn for acquisition alone, the Defence Department’s LAND 400 project is the biggest and most expensive acquisition project in the history of the Australian Army, and is expected to deliver 611 military vehicles over 15 years.
North Queensland based businesses are set to play a major role in delivering the state-of-the-art facility with its construction workforce expected to peak at 110 people per day.
Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price will today announce St Hilliers have been awarded the head contract to deliver the $31m package as part of the $235m Armoured Fighting Vehicle Facilities Program Stage 1 works.
St Hillier’s, which will also be responsible for subsequent stages of the program including a high voltage substation and preparatory works has pledged 98 per cent of the workforce would be sourced locally.
Other Stage 1 works, including those at Puckapunyal Military Area, Victoria, and Edinburgh Defence Precinct, South Australia, will be delivered under separate contracts.
“The LAND 400 Phase 2 Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles and the Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicles will represent a generational leap in the Australian Army’s warfighting capability,” Minister Price said.
“Together with the upgraded M1 tank and its armoured engineering variants, these vehicles will deliver a world-class close combat capability for Australia.
“These new vehicles will employ networked, high-fidelity training simulators in new, future ready training centres.”
Herbert MP Phillip Thompson said the project signified the Federal Government’s commitment to boosting the Australian Defence Force, and Townsville’s critical role geographically and strategically.
“We are very fortunate to have these armoured vehicle capabilities on our doorstep and making sure we have the best training facilities in place is so important, so that our men and women are as equipped as possible to use them,” Mr Thompson said.
Townsville-based Senator Susan McDonald said she knew of many North Queensland businesses that had the expertise and capability to contribute to this Project, urging those eligible to apply.
>>To find out more and apply for work in the sector, visit https://www.defenceindustry.gov.au/
Originally published as Townsville is set to be the home of a $31m military combat training centre
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