An NSM is launched from a US Navy ship. Photo: US Navy / screenshot.
Adelaide-based Axiom Precision Manufacturing has announced it has signed a contract to produce ground support equipment for a new Royal Australian Navy guided missile program.
The contract with Kongsberg Defence Australia (KDAu) will see Axiom manufacture and deliver ground support equipment for the anti-ship Naval Strike Missile (NSM), which the Navy is acquiring under the Project SEA 1300 Phase 1 Navy Guided Weapons program.
The program will see the NSM integrated with the Navy’s ANZAC class frigates and Hobert class destroyers, replacing the RGM-84L Harpoon. The NSM will effectively double the range of the ageing Harpoon in a much stealthier and ‘smarter’ weapon package, and, like Harpoon, is launched from deck-mounted canisters.
“The contract with KONGSBERG is great recognition of Axiom’s strong history as a Defence supplier across many platforms and we look forward to growing our partnership on the back of this project,” Axiom General Manager Craig Maynard said.
“The new contract will support additional growth in Axiom’s vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities, including fabrication and painting.”
Located in Wingfield in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Axiom was founded in 1979 and specialises in electronic hardware design, precision machining, complex mechanical, electro-mechanical and sub-system manufacturing. It supplies to the aerospace, defence, space and medical devices industries, and holds AS 9100, ISO 14001 and ISO13485 certifications.
General manager of KDAu John Fry said, “KONGSBERG is committed to involving Australian industry in support of SEA 1300 Phase 1 – Navy Guided Weapons. Axiom was established over four decades ago, so it is great to be announcing this partnership with such an experienced, highly skilled small to medium enterprise.”
Axion also recently won a contract with Lockheed Martin to become part of the global supply chain for the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV), a reusable spacecraft that is part of NASA’s Artemis Moon program.
