AWD contract heralds new era

Twenty years after signing a contract to build Australia’s fleet of Collins Class submarines, ASC Pty Ltd has today secured the agreement to construct Australia’s air warfare destroyers (AWDs).

Heralding a new era for the company, ASC signed the Alliance Based Target Incentive Agreement (ABTIA) in ASC’s AWD shipyard in Osborne, South Australia, along with the other AWD Alliance members, including Defence Materiel Organisation and Raytheon Australia.

The ABTIA commits the Alliance members to work as an integrated team to deliver the Royal Australian Navy’s next generation warships.

ASC Managing Director Greg Tunny said the significance of this milestone – representing the start of construction activities - could be likened to signing the Submarine Build contract twenty years earlier.

“While ASC has been involved in the Air Warfare Destroyer Program for two years now, today we signed the agreement that will ultimately see Australia’s air warfare destroyers built,” he said.

“This is tremendously exciting news for the company; both for our employees and for ASC’s future.  We now set upon the challenging task of constructing Australia’s air warfare destroyer capability.”

To support the shipbuilding effort, ASC’s workforce will double by an additional 1,000 people, with spin-off opportunities set to benefit local industry.

The Build Phase that ASC has now entered involves design planning, engineering and development, and commencement of air warfare destroyer construction activity.

“The commitment of all Alliance participants to arrive at this historical point in the AWD Program cannot be understated,” said Greg Tunny.

“As ASC now turns to the exciting challenging of building Australia’s next generation warship, we do so with the comfort and knowledge that this dedicated Alliance team will be at the helm.”

-ends-