Aerospace and Defence Equipment Manufacturing

Getting in early with cutting-edge and developmental military programs can yield huge benefits, and involves expensive gambles, but recent global events have shown the option of deploying surface vessels without humans could prove invaluable, writes Andrew Greene.

The SA government says today's long-anticipated naval overhaul will secure continuous shipbuilding at Adelaide's Osborne shipyard — but the state opposition has expressed doubts it will stave off a "valley of death".

South Australia's defence sector, particularly shipbuilding, has been repeatedly spruiked as an economic boon and a pathway to long term prosperity, particularly in the wake of the demise of the automotive industry — but will what was promised actually be delivered?

Australia's troubled Hunter-class frigate program has avoided being axed following a sweeping review of the navy's combat surface fleet, with at least six and possibly several more of the large and expensive warships to be built over coming decades.

The plane maker's CEO tells staff the company "will have to perform rework on about 50 undelivered planes".

The FAA approves an inspection process that will let US airlines resume flying their Boeing 737 MAX 9 jetliners, which have been grounded since a side panel blew out of a plane in mid-flight earlier this month.

The 45 Taipan MRH-90 aircraft were retired last year after a crash in Queensland that killed four Defence personnel during a training exercise.

The chief executive of a peak body says the Kwinana industrial area in Perth's south must undergo drastic change if it is to meet state government emissions targets.

A new chapter of Australia's space race is being written with a massive expansion planned for a rocket base in east Arnhem Land. 

A space company with plans to launch 50 rockets a year from the remote NT has dismissed fears about missiles being launched from the site, but still has ambitions to work with defence.

The first locally made rocket to be launched into space from Australian soil is scheduled for lift-off from a commercial facility in Queensland early next year.

The legislation still needs to be approved by the House of Representatives, but its passage through the US Senate is a significant step forward for Australia's plans to purchase American subs. 

The Royal Australian Air Force has stopped flying an undisclosed number of its C-27J Spartans after finding "cracking" on some of the light tactical fixed-wing aircraft.

The navy removed a requirement for "value for money" from the tender process for its $45 billion future frigate program, with previously secret documents also revealing the Department of Defence selected a controversial British warship design despite being aware of potential risks.

A high-tech facility is being built on Western Australia's remote north-west coast as part of AUKUS efforts to improve "deep-space object tracking".

The EU says a promise to supply 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine in the first-half of 2024 may not be met.

The South Australian government will give land to the federal government to build nuclear submarines in exchange for three sites, two of which it plans to use for new housing.

Drones have been used to deliver pizzas, snap photographs and fight crime. Now, new approvals could see them being used to a greater degree in Australia's lucrative mining industry.

Ahead of "hard decisions" around the future shape of Australia's navy, the government considers a proposal to dramatically boost the firepower of Australia's warships.

The fledgling Arnhem Space Centre in the remote Northern Territory is looking to substantially expand its facilities and launch capacity if it's given the tick of approval.

As Israel deploys its fleet of sophisticated, expensive drones in its war against Hamas, the militant group has come armed with its own surprise: Cheap, off-the-shelf-drones rigged up to carry bombs. 

South Australia's premier hits back at claims by Alexander Downer that all of the nation's future nuclear subs should be built overseas — but the former foreign affairs minister says there should be more scrutiny of the "eye-watering" cost.

A US-based company using the microgravity and vacuum conditions in space to produce pharmaceuticals plans to land its capsules at a site in South Australia's far west.

The AUKUS program will see Australia provided with nuclear-powered attack submarines from the early 2030s onwards to help counter China's ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the back lot of an industrial site in Canberra, engineers are producing a response to the growing drone threat in Ukraine. It is called Slinger — and it is designed to counter drones at a cost that countries like Ukraine can afford.