1800 jobs on the horizon as multimillion-dollar Hanwha facility opens at Avalon
The Deputy Prime Minister has officially opened the Hanwha facility at Avalon, which will support 1800 jobs as construction begins on two types of armoured vehicles for the Australian Army.
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A $170m manufacturing facility for two types of armoured vehicles will soon to be operational at the Avalon Airport industrial precinct.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who is the member for Corio, officially opened the Hanwha Defence Australia’s Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence on Friday.
He said it was one of the “most significant” days in Geelong’s economic history.
The South Korean company landed the $1bn defence contract in late 2021 for the self propelled howitzers, called the Huntsman, and last year was awarded the $5-7bn contract for infantry fighting vehicles.
Mr Marles said phase one was completed and would facilitate the construction of 28 Huntsman and 14 supply vehicles, set to begin in a couple of months,
“This will join phase two of this facility which will see the building of 129 infantry fighting vehicles, the Redbacks,” he said.
“When all of that is done we will see this facility supporting 1800 jobs in Geelong.
“It speaks to how significant this place will be in the industrial landscape of Geelong.
“Not only does this add to Geelong’s industry, critically it contributes to our nation’s defence capability.”
The facility includes multiple assembly lines, a 1200m test track, a deep-water test facility, an obstacle course and a research and development centre.
Hanwha Aerospace chief executive Jae-il Son said the facility was an important strategic asset to Australia for industry and economy.
“The (centre) would not have been possible without the trust and support of the federal government, state government and Geelong city,” he said.
“We believe the significant achievement of completing (it) is a sign of a strong relationship and proud history between Australia and Korea.”
Lieutenant General Simon Andrew Stuart, chief of the Australian Army, said the centre exemplified the Australian Army’s transformation as it met the government’s direction of the defence strategic review.
”The self-propelled howitzer and infantry fighting vehicle are part of making our army relevant and credible among the strategic challenges of the 21st century,’ he said.
“The Australian Army is an army for the nation and in the community and we couldn’t be prouder to be associated with the community here in Geelong.”
Hanwha Defence Australia acting managing director Dean Michie said the first phase was delivered two and a half months early.
“Hanwha Aerospace, they took a chance in coming to Australia, investing here and expanding on the relationship between South Korea and Australia — our ongoing support for each other is key,” he said.
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
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