Page 22 - Defence Industry Guide #57

22 DEFENCE NEWS
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2023 | Edition 57 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
QINETIQ ACQUIRES AIR AFFAIRS
QINETIQ has reached an agreement to acquire Air Affairs in Australia for $53 million.
QinetiQ has also reached an agree- ment to sell QinetiQ Space in Belgium to Redwire Space Europe for a cash consideration of €32 million.
“Following the announcement in August of the acquisition of Avantus in the US, the two transactions an-
nounced today further demonstrate our strategy and capital allocation policy in action,” the company said in a statement.
Air Affairs is an Australian defence services company headquartered in Nowra, specialising in air threat repre- sentation, T&E, unmanned targets and mission rehearsal. Air Affairs provides targets and training services, and elec-
LEFT: Air Affairs operates a fleet of 30 and 60 series Learjet aircraft to provide Jet Aircraft Support for ADF training.
tronic warfare capabilities to the ADF, as well as aerial surveillance and re- connaissance in support of government firefighting efforts.
It owns and operates a fleet of spe- cial mission aircraft and maintains an advanced manufacturing and engi- neering facility providing design, man- ufacture and certification operations.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2022, Air Affairs delivered $43m revenue and EBITDA of A$5 million.
“Following our announcement to ac- quire Avantus in the US in August, the acquisition of Air Affairs in Australia is a further exciting opportunity to ac- celerate our growth and reinforces our market leading position in test and evaluation, and air threat representa- tion globally,” Steve Wadey, QinetiQ Group Chief Executive Officer said.
AML3D TO PROTOTYPE PARTS FOR BAE SYSTEMS
AML3D has announced a purchase contract with BAE Systems Australia to investigate the feasibility and pro- totyping of components to support the Hunter class frigate program.
“While the financial value of this par- ticular purchase contract is not materi- al, it represents an expansion of our stra- tegic partnership in order to meet BAE Systems Australia’s existing and future requirements around additive manufac- turing for the Hunter Class Frigate Pro- gram. The prototype components intend to offer higher strength properties while providing an alternative to traditionally cast items for future builds,” the com- pany said in a statement.
AML3D is the world’s first large- scale 3D metal printing company to be accredited by Lloyd’s Register and
to secure Additive Manufacturing Facility Accreditation from DNV.
The purchase contract for proto- type Hunter class components fol- lows a commercial validation testing program, initiated in October 2020. The validation testing demonstrated that AML3D’s WAM technology could minimise lead-times and meet BAE Sys- tems Australia’s internal standards for additive manufactured components.
“Developing our commercial re- lationships across the marine and defence sectors are key to AML3D’s strategic growth plan. We had great confidence that WAM would satisfy BAE Systems Australia’s testing pro- tocols and are pleased to have suc- cessfully moved this project out of the validation testing phase,” Ryan Mil-
lar, AML3D’s Chief Executive Officer said. “Providing prototype components that will support BAE Systems Austra- lia’s contract with the Royal Australian Navy to build the Hunter class frigates is another step in building a commer- cial relationship of great significance. Especially in the context of the scale of BAE Systems Australia’s wider ship- building initiatives in Australia.”
ABOVE: AML3D has agreed to prototype parts for BAE Systems Australia.
AML3D
AIR AFFAIRS AUSTRALIA