Thales expanding advanced manufacturing in Lithgow

Thales Australia has received development approval and will commence construction in February on the first phase of an ambitious industrial plan to transform its Lithgow Arms facility in regional New South Wales.

The new development will deliver an advanced manufacturing and integration hub for the precision manufacture of next-generation, Australian-designed weapon systems – integrating traditional precision manufacturing and digital technologies, including 3D printing, and the installation of automated electro-plating and other metal-treatment capabilities.

It will also include a new purpose-built live-firing test and evaluation capability to support systems qualification and integration, and the acceleration of research and technology development of digitised small-arms and weapon-system platforms.

Late last year, Thales Australia announced more than $12million of investments in new infrastructure and advanced manufacturing capability at the company’s Lithgow and Mulwala facilities, supporting the government’s sovereign munitions and small-arms research, design, development and manufacture priority.

The new development at Lithgow will expand the world-leading precision-manufacturing capability of Lithgow Arms to support new sovereign manufacturing partnerships for strategic ADF programs, including the company’s partnership with Rheinmetall Defence Australia to manufacture key components for Rheinmetall in support of the Army’s Land 400 program.

The purpose-built facility will also support collaboration across research institutions, SME partners, and key industrial partners to create the soldier systems and small-arms of the future, as well as train the next generation of skilled, advanced-manufacturing workers in the NSW central west.