Albanese Government Backs Future Made in Australia with Funding for Local Companies to Develop Critical Defence Capabilities
6 February 25
The Albanese Government is investing in local innovation and a future made in Australia by backing two Canberra companies to continue developing electronic warfare technology under a program set up to produce critical capabilities for all three AUKUS nations.
The Government today announced Advanced Design Technology (ADT) and Penten had entered into contracts with the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA), following successful participation in the first AUKUS Innovation Challenge.
The contracts – worth more than $8 million – will provide critical financial support to the two companies to continue their groundbreaking work while also securing more than 150 local jobs.
This funding will assist the development and demonstration of electronic warfare prototypes that address Australian Defence Force (ADF) operating requirements and show the important contribution that Australian industry is making in developing advanced electronic warfare capabilities, including as part of AUKUS Pillar II.
These capabilities allow joint AUKUS forces to generate superior situational awareness and communicate effectively across all domains in contested environments – even when an adversary might attempt to blind our awareness or block timely command and control capability.
Launched in 2024, the AUKUS Innovation Challenge Series connects all three AUKUS partners to the very best technology, leveraging each nation’s comparative advantages and delivering cutting-edge capabilities to our defence forces.
Additional information on the AUKUS Pillar II EW Innovation Challenge is available at www.asca.gov.au.
Source: Defence Press Release