{"id":2918,"date":"2026-07-10T04:40:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/2918\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T04:40:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:40:16","slug":"lockheed-martin-building-new-86m-australian-air-power-hub-to-boost-f-35-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/2918\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockheed Martin Building New $86M Australian Air Power Hub to Boost F-35 Defence"},"content":{"rendered":"

WILLIAMTOWN\u2014 Lockheed Martin <\/a>Australia has begun construction of a new AUD 85.9 million Air Power Precinct in the Hunter region, marking a major investment in Australia\u2019s future air and missile defence capabilities.<\/p>\n

The project was officially launched during a sod-turning ceremony attended by Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy and senior company executives.<\/p>\n

The new facility will strengthen long-term support for Australia\u2019s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jets while expanding sovereign defence capabilities. <\/p>\n

Located near Newcastle Airport (NTL)<\/a>, the precinct will also enhance sustainment services for regional F-35 operators and reinforce Australia\u2019s growing role within the Indo-Pacific defence network.<\/p>\n

\"Lockheed\"LockheedPhoto: Defence Connect @DefenceConnect | X User<\/p>\n

Air Power Hub Strengthens Defence Capability<\/p>\n

Construction will begin immediately, with Australian contractor Built leading the project. Lockheed Martin Australia expects the Air Power Precinct to become fully operational by 2028, creating an advanced centre for integrated air and missile defence technologies.<\/p>\n

The purpose-built complex will support Australia\u2019s National Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) Ecosystem, providing dedicated facilities for hardware assembly, system integration, validation, end-to-end testing, software sustainment, and specialist workforce training.<\/p>\n

The precinct will also support Australia\u2019s Joint Air Battle Management System, a cornerstone of the country\u2019s broader AIR6500 defence program designed to improve command-and-control capabilities against evolving airborne threats.<\/p>\n

\"Lockheed\"LockheedPhoto: Australian Aviation | X User<\/p>\n

F-35 Support Builds Local Aerospace Expertise<\/p>\n

A significant part of the investment focuses on sustaining Australia\u2019s F-35 fleet. The facility will provide program management support for Lockheed Martin Australia\u2019s F-35 sustainment operations<\/a>, which represent the company\u2019s largest international F-35 support program.<\/p>\n

One of the precinct\u2019s most important capabilities will be a dedicated aircraft canopy repair facility.<\/p>\n

The advanced diagnostic, testing, and repair infrastructure will reduce Australia\u2019s reliance on overseas maintenance providers while improving operational readiness for the Royal Australian Air Force.<\/p>\n

The new capability will also strengthen regional sustainment arrangements for other Indo-Pacific F-35 operators, helping improve aircraft availability across the global F-35 supply chain.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Photo: Lockheed Martin<\/p>\n

Jobs And Economic Growth<\/p>\n

Lockheed Martin Australia says the project will deliver substantial economic benefits to the Hunter region alongside its military objectives. <\/p>\n

More than 200 jobs will be created during construction, while the completed facility will add over 60 new aerospace positions and support more than 230 ongoing engineering and technical roles, Asia Pacific Defence Reporter<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n

The company also expects the precinct to generate new opportunities for local suppliers and small-to-medium enterprises participating in Australia\u2019s defence supply chain.<\/p>\n

Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive Jeremy King said the investment reflects the company\u2019s long-term commitment to strengthening Australia\u2019s sovereign defence industry.<\/p>\n

He noted that the new precinct will enhance military readiness, improve coalition interoperability, expand local industrial capability, and position the Hunter region as a strategic hub for integrated air and missile defence and F-35 sustainment across the Indo-Pacific.<\/p>\n

Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.<\/p>\n

Join us on\u00a0Telegram Group\u00a0<\/a>for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on\u00a0Google News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WILLIAMTOWN\u2014 Lockheed Martin Australia has begun construction of a new AUD 85.9 million Air Power Precinct in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2919,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[191,14,60,1365,1921,1922,261,1923,1924],"class_list":["post-2918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-australia","tag-defence-industry","tag-defense","tag-f-35","tag-f-35-stealth-fighter-jet","tag-f-35-stealth-fighter-simulation-models","tag-lockheed-martin","tag-lockheed-martin-f-35-lightning-ii","tag-royal-australian-air-force"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2919"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}