President Space and Airborne Systems L3Harris Technologies Ed Zoiss, Federal Member for Moreton Graham Perrett, Member for Toohey Jennifer Howard, State Member for Ipswich Peter Russo, and L3Harris Technologies Australia CEO Alan Clements at the facility’s opening on 30 July. Photo: L3Harris.
US defence giant L3Harris has opened a new electronic warfare centre of excellence in western Brisbane as it continues to expand its Australian presence.
The company says the new facility will feature expertise in the design, manufacture, integration and sustainment of high-reliability electronic warfare technology critical for modern military operations.
It will also serve as the hub for the company’s space, intelligence and cyber capabilities in Australia and the wider Indo-Pacific region, bringing its support and delivery centres closer to the Australian Defence Force.
This will benefit in reduced turnaround times on repairs and upgrades and increased local manufacturing capabilities and jobs across technologies such as including quantum sensing, robotics, secure communications and data management.
Electronic warfare (EW) broadly covers operations that receive, classify, defend against, disrupt, degrade, jam, or destroy an adversary’s electronic emissions from systems including communications, radars and other sensors. The ADF has been integrating new EW capabilities across all three services as well as in the space and cyber domains in recent years.
L3Harris will provide the ALQ-249(V)2 NGJ-LB EW pod to the US Navy and RAAF. Photo: L3Harris.
L3Harris supplies a number of EW systems to the ADF, including the new AN/ALQ-249(V)2 next generation jammer – low band (NGJ-LB), a key capability under development for the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force’s Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft. It is also responsible for integrating the systems onto the RAAF’s new MC-55A Peregrine electronic warfare aircraft, the first of which is due to enter service in 2026.
The company was also recently named as one of an expanded list of 13 prime contractors the Australian Government has said it will support as part of its Global Supply Chain (GSC) Program to invest in Australian companies to integrate into global supply chains, diversify their revenue, drive economies of scale, and build resilience through exports.
The opening of the new facility was attended by Assistant Minister for Treasury, Trade and Investment for Queensland and State Member for Toohey Jennifer Howard, and the Federal Member for Moreton and Member of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Graham Perrett.
Also in attendance were the President Space and Airborne Systems L3Harris Technologies Ed Zoiss, State Member for Ipswich Peter Russo, and the CEO of L3Harris Technologies Australia Alan Clements.
Ms Howard described Queensland as a Defence state. “The government supports Defence industries via the Queensland Defence Industries 10-Year Roadmap and Action Plan, as well as the Queensland Space Industry Strategy,” she said.
“L3Harris’ new operations in Queensland will contribute to a vibrant and growing defence supply chain, with their investment helping them better support the needs of the Australian Defence Force and the Australian defence industry.”
L3Harris will also deliver T7 and T4 EOD robots to the ADF from the new facility. Photo: L3Harris.
Mr Perrett added, “The L3Harris Centre of Excellence for Electronic Warfare is a fantastic initiative that will grow our sovereign industrial base by contributing to a future made in Australia and equip the Australian Defence Force with the capabilities they need.”
Mr Zoiss said, “The launch of our Centre of Excellence is a clear signal of L3Harris’ commitment to lead and shape the future of defence technology in Australia, for Australia, by our incredibly talented local workforce.
“As we embark on this journey, we extend our gratitude to the ADF for their trust and partnership.”
The new facility will be the delivery centre for L3Harris’ new T4 and T7 robots on order by the ADF for its Project LAND 154 program to acquire new capabilities to combat mines and improvised explosive devices. Up to 80 T4 and T7 explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots were ordered in 2023, and are equipped with cameras and features that detect, examine and neutralise explosive threats and hazards.
