Canberra, Aug 22 (IANS): Australia will begin producing long-range missiles in 2027 under a partnership with Norwegian defence company Kongsberg.
Pat Conroy, Minister for the Defence Industry and Capability Delivery, on Thursday, announced that the government would contribute up to 850 million Australian dollars ($572.2 million) in partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia to manufacture and service missiles locally, reports Xinhua news agency.
Under the partnership, a missile factory at the airport precinct in the city of Newcastle -- over 100 km north of Sydney -- will open in 2026 and 2027, and begin manufacturing and servicing Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles to be used by the Australian Defense Force (ADF).
The NSM will replace the Harpoon anti-ship missiles on the ADF's Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class frigates.