Page 98 - Australian Defence Magazine November 2021

BAE Systems Australia
SPONSORED CONTENT
A partnership for the decades
More than a job, a partnership for the decades
100 years of service to Australia is no small feat! Congratulations
to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on this milestone. It’s a special time, as we come together to celebrate and honour all RAAF service men and women, past and present, for their century of service to our nation.
At BAE Systems Australia, we are immensely proud to support the RAAF and proud of the role we play to help ensure our Air Force has the best capability, always.
Every day at work in Williamtown, one of the biggest RAAF bases in the nation, I only have to look skyward to see some of Australia’s elite pilots put their aircraft through their paces overhead.
It’s a sight I never tire of and a reminder of our purpose, our promise and our community.
I have been privileged to support the RAAF for many years, beginning
my career on the Hawk design team. Today, I lead more than 590 employees at Williamtown, Wagga and RAAF Base Pearce as Director of Aircraft Sustainment & Training at BAE Systems Australia.
For me, it’s so much more than a job.
It’s a purpose that unites our team, from some of the longest serving, who were instrumental in the first Australian-built Hawk’s maiden flight in May 2000, to our newest technicians supporting the fifth generation fighter, the F-35.
Over many decades, we have worked together with the RAAF, changing and evolving our business to reach a place of shared ambitions and alignment. We work side-by-side on many levels, as engineers, technicians and as trainers, supporting our nation’s sovereign air capability.
Today, there is a significant focus on Hawk and F-35, though our partnership spans several decades, with our teams supporting rotary
The First F-35 in for scheduled maintenance at BAE Systems Australia - Williamtown Facility
Andrew Chapman
technicians. This facility provides students with access to aircraft and state of the art simulators, and is recognised for delivering highly skilled technicians.
Today, the new era of air power is upon us, with the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – the most modern and lethal aircraft in the world today and a centrepiece of the RAAF’s capability.
BAE Systems Australia is a sustainment partner for F-35 aircraft across the Asia-Pacific region and has been assigned the Asia Pacific Regional Warehouse provider for the aircraft where key F-35 components will be maintained for the next three decades.
In early 2021, we declared our Southern Pacific Regional Airframe Depot operational and welcomed the first F-35 for scheduled maintenance, a huge milestone for the region, state and the nation.
Work has begun on the second aircraft and over time we will grow our capacity to support the entire Australian F-35 fleet, as well as 300 aircraft in the Asia Pacific region.
The size, scale and complexity of the program provides an exciting future. Already we have more than 60 F-35 maintenance technicians supporting the fleet across the BAE Systems Depot and Operational Maintenance at RAAF Williamtown. With such longevity, the
“A centrepiece of the RAAF’s capability is the fifth generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – the most modern and lethal aircraft in the world.”
and fixed wing aircraft, advanced military training services and training hundreds of pilots and technicians.
Over 30 years, our team of highly skilled trainers in Tamworth – many of them ex-RAAF pilots, helped graduate more than 2000 Australian Defence Force students with Basic Flying Training. In that time they completed more than 280,000 flight hours with an exemplary air safety record and more than 60,000 ground school lectures.
Nearly 700 kilometres south of Tamworth, our team in Wagga Wagga provide specialised aviation technical training to ADF aircraft