Lockheed Martin Australia, the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Group, and the Australian Army have conducted a live-fire demonstration of an Australian-manufactured Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missile at the Woomera Test Range in South Australia.
The test, conducted on 9 April, marked the first launch of an Australian-manufactured GMLRS from an Australian Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), according to the company. The launch was supported by the 14th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, from the Army’s 10th Brigade.
The company said the activity was intended to demonstrate progress in building domestic GWEO manufacturing capability. GMLRS is a precision-guided munition and the primary weapon for the Australian Army’s HIMARS launch vehicles, with a range exceeding 70 kilometres.
Jeremy King, Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand, said: “This is an outstanding achievement. We have worked closely with Defence to make ready the Port Wakefield facility and produce the first GMLRS outside the United States—all within two years. This speed to capability aligns with the Government’s GWEO objectives and is a testament to the outstanding collaborative work of the Australian team and our U.S. colleagues.”
Lockheed Martin said final assembly and delivery of the missiles to the Australian Army were carried out by Australian engineers trained at the company’s US production facilities before returning to establish the Port Wakefield production line.
The company said delivery of the first tranche of Australian-manufactured GMLRS, together with the subsequent live-fire demonstration, completed the final milestone under the Guided Weapons Production Capability Risk Reduction Activity contract. It said the milestone was achieved through collaboration between Lockheed Martin, the United States Government, the Australian Government, Defence, and local industry partners.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to be at the forefront of bringing advanced manufacturing technology to Australia and we look forward to working closely with the Australian Government, Defence and industry partners to continue building a domestic guided weapons manufacturing industry,” said Gaylia Campbell, Vice President and General Manager, Lockheed Martin Tactical Missiles.
Lockheed Martin said establishing GMLRS production in Australia supports Australian Government objectives to build sovereign guided weapons manufacturing, strengthen supply chains, and increase Australian Defence Force munitions stockpiles. The company also said adding Australian production would increase global capacity for GMLRS and improve supply chain resilience for other users of the MLRS family of munitions.
The company said the Woomera live-fire achieved all test objectives and captured performance data intended to support system validation ahead of a US certification flight test planned for 2027.
Defence imagery of the test firing was credited to the Australian Department of Defence.
