NIOA manufactures 120 mm munitions used by the Australian Army’s M1A1 and new M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks. Photo: ADF.
A leading Australian supplier of artillery munitions to the Australian Defence Force has announced it will expand its presence into the UK.
The NIOA Group says its expansion into a new office in Bristol will reinforce allied defence industry ties in Europe.
The company was established in 1973 and today includes several offshoots, including NIOA Australia, NIOA New Zealand, the Australian Missile Corporation, NIOA Inc [US], Barrett Firearms [US] and joint-venture company Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions.
NIOA is also a major tenant at the Australian Government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) munitions facility at Benalla in Victoria, where it is currently manufacturing 120 mm munitions for the M1A1/A2 Abrams tank, as well as 30 mm and 35 mm cannon ammunition.
The company is also a joint-venture partner with Rheinmetall of Germany in the Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions 155 mm artillery forging facility at Maryborough in Queensland, where it manufactures munitions for US-allied nations.
And under the government’s ambitious sovereign guided weapons enterprise (GWEO), NIOA has a strategic agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne to explore the manufacturing of key munitions and components in Australia.
Speaking to the Australian British Chamber of Commerce Defence Catalyst dinner in London last week, group CEO Robert Nioa said establishing an office in the UK was a logical next step for the company, given the trilateral AUKUS security construct.
“As a company, we are committed to operationalising the industrial collaboration envisaged by our collective governments under the AUKUS agreement … and it’s not AUKUS without the UK,” he said.
“From an AUKUS technology exchange perspective, this completes our Australia, UK, US network.
“Our first engineers are on site, albeit in temporary desks, while we get our building fitout finalised.
“Our intention is for this office building to also act as our European headquarters in support of all of the different NIOA Group businesses.
“We will be looking to build close relationships and support Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) in their objectives and also build close connections with other UK businesses for both UK and international-focused efforts.”
The move into the UK follows the company’s opening of an office in June at the US Army’s Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey and the 2023 acquisition of Barrett Firearms in Tennessee, also in the US.
Mr Nioa said the deep UK-Australian military links underpinned the urgent strategic importance of AUKUS against a backdrop of “profound” geopolitical challenges.
“While AUKUS pillar 1 and 2 are rightfully front of mind for all of us at this catalyst, they are simply a continuation of the long journey of defence industrial cooperation that our two countries have been on now for more than 100 years,” he said.
“AUKUS is becoming more urgent. Our democracies face a profound challenge.
“AUKUS can be the vehicle that turbocharges industry to deliver more military capability more quickly into the hands of our war fighters … and AUKUS, at its core, is all about industrial capability.
“Governments set the AUKUS design. It is industry’s job to deliver AUKUS success.”
