Page 25 - Australian Defence Magazine Feb-Mar 2023

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The uncrewed MQ-28 Ghost Bat will be the first military combat aircraft to be built in Australia for 50 years.
When UK aviation pioneer Geoffrey de Havilland opened the doors to his first overseas operation, de Havilland Australia in 1927, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) had been established for just six years and the country’s aviation industry was still in its infancy.
Within a decade, as another world war loomed, senior industrial and government leaders realised the need to establish a robust sovereign aviation manufacturing industry, leading to the establishment of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1936 and
the Government Aircraft Factories in 1939.
In the ensuing decades, these three iconic companies turbocharged the evolution of Australian aviation manufacturing and formed the foundations of Boeing Australia – a 96-year legacy of aerospace leadership built in Australia, by Australians.
Since those pioneering days, Boeing and its heritage companies have helped lead the development of Australia’s aerospace industry by shaping and evolving complex sovereign capabilities.
There are few better examples of that enduring partnership than on Boeing Defence Australia’s (BDA) platform sustainment programs. For close to 30 years, BDA has worked together with the Air Force to deliver maintenance, upgrade, and modification services to their frontline fleets. Today, BDA is contracted to sustain the largest number of ADF aircraft types including C-17 Globemasters, CH-47F Chinooks, F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-7A Wedgetails, P-8A Poseidons, and the soon-to-be-introduced AH-64E Apaches.
Boeing also trains the operators, maintainers, and aircrew for E-7As, P-8As, C-17s, and CH-47s. Next-generation helicopter crew are trained using Boeing’s Helicopter Aircrew Training System, while additional training
is also provided on two critical communications systems, the Wakulda air battle management system and the Currawong Battlespace Communications System.
Boeing subsidiary Insitu Pacific is delivering the Integrator tactical uncrewed aerial system and associated training for pilots and maintainers for the Australian Army. Combined, these training and sustainment solutions are helping ensure the ADF’s fleet and personnel are mission-ready and prepared for their future operational and humanitarian assistance roles.
While Boeing Australia’s legacy is firmly entrenched within defence, its commercial airplane business is equally significant. Since the Boeing 707 was delivered
to Qantas in 1959, Boeing commercial aircraft have been flown by customers on both sides of the Tasman with field service representatives stationed at key airports to provide technical support.
Each of those passenger jets, along with many in operation around the globe, are intrinsically linked to Australia. Boeing Aerostructures Australia in Melbourne designs, tests, certifies, and manufactures advanced composite structures for all currently produced Boeing commercial jets and commercial derivatives like the P-8A.
Locally-developed innovations – such as resin infusion material technology, autonomous collaborative robots that support the manufacturing process, and the uncrewed MQ-28 Ghost Bat – have only been possible through Boeing’s local research and development teams:
Boeing Research & Technology - Australia (BR&T-A) and Phantom Works Global (PWG).
Individually, the two businesses undertake ground-breaking work – BR&T-A in advanced manufacturing processes and uncrewed technologies, and PWG in rapid-prototyping, modelling and simulation of defence technology
solutions – and together, they’re formidable.
There are few more potent examples of their combined strength than in autonomous systems. Boeing Australia has been a crucial testbed for The Boeing Company’s autonomous technology, with the MQ-28 Ghost Bat the most globally-significant example of what their collaborations can achieve.
By tapping into the strength of Boeing’s global R&D ecosystem, and partnerships with CSIRO, Defence Science and Technology Group and leading Australian universities, Boeing Australia’s team is known for its ability to build best-of-Boeing and best-of-industry teams to provide
its customers with the solutions they require.
With the broadest aerospace portfolio in Australian industry and over 4,800 employees, Boeing’s local operations will continue to partner with our customers to redefine military aviation – now and long into the future.
Boeing Australia delivers world-leading military aircraft maintenance, upgrade, and modification services to the ADF’s frontline platforms, including the EA-18G Growler.