Australia unveils US$14 billion plan for local missile...

Australia unveils US$14 billion plan for local missile productionIt includes construction of a new plant for manufacturing 155mm M795 artillery ammunitionAustralia will invest US$14 billion over a decade to ramp up domestic missile and munitions manufacturing, in the latest step by the centre-left Labor government to develop a long-range strike capability in the face of a regional arms race.Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy will announce the new programme on Wednesday (Oct 30) to produce weapons in Australia “at scale,” including construction of a new plant for manufacturing 155mm M795 artillery ammunition.In a speech to the National Press Club, Conroy will say Australia stands on the “cusp of a new Indo-Pacific missile age,” according to excerpts provided by his office in advance. “As well as acquiring more missiles, more rapidly from our partners, we need to build a new Australian guided weapons manufacturing industry,” Conroy said. “The Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise – known as GWEO – is our answer to protecting Australia in the missile age.”The announcement is the latest step by Australia to shift the country’s military posture toward improving long-range attack and area denial capabilities.Conroy’s speech comes just over a week after Australia announced it intended to purchase A$7 billion (S$6.08 billion) worth of US missiles, including the Standard Missile Block IIIC and Standard Missile-6. At the time, Conroy described them as the “most advanced air and missile defence weapons in the world.”According to the 2024 GWEO plan, which will be released on Wednesday, the new long-range strike capabilities will improve the range of the Australian navy from 200 kilometres to as much as 2,500 kilometres. BLOOMBERG