Tomago engineering company Varley Group will reap the rewards of a lucrative federal government contract for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
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Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne announced on Thursday a $37.5 million contract, signed by defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin Australia, which will see the Varley Group design and build secure cabins for Air Force personnel deployed overseas with the new fleet of aircraft.
The contract is expected to create 15 jobs for Lockheed Martin across its Adelaide, Canberra and Williamtown sites, in addition to creating 20 new positions at Varley’s Tomago factory.
The build is expected to run until 2019.
The portable cabins, which can expand to three times the size of a shipping container, are secure facilities designed to protect highly sensitive material.
Their usage is not limited to the F-35’s.
“Acquiring these new portable, Australian-made, cabins is an important part of our Joint Strike Fighter program and will mean that our top secret systems and personnel who support our jets on the ground will be securely housed and protected,” Mr Pyne told Fairfax Media.
“This acquisition is part of the transformation required to make Australia the most technologically advanced small modern Air Force in the world and optimise Australia’s individual Defence capabilities by operating as a truly networked force.”
Lockheed Martin will work with Varley in delivering the RAAF project, which will include assisting the company with “computing and information technology solutions” the company said in a statement on Thursday.
Vince Di Pietro, Lockheed Martin’s chief executive officer, said he believed companies like Varley are an important part of the Australian manufacturing ecosystem.
“Varley has been a proven performer on our F-35 program and further expanding this partnership gives us the local skills and expertise to improve our support to Defence,” Mr Di Pietro said.
Varley managing director Jeff Phillips welcomed the news and said it put the factory in a good position to secure future contracts.
“We have very high hopes we’ll be able to build the same product for the US or any other country that will have these planes – that’s good for Hunter jobs,” he said.