Australia’s Department of Defence announced on Friday that the Albanese administration is investing $140 million to boost the munitions production capacity in the ammo factories in Mulwala, New South Wales, and Benalla, Victoria.
Defence Australia said the investment exemplifies the government delivering on the Defence Strategic Review’s priority to quickly build local manufacturing and increase the Australian Defence Force’s guided weapons and explosive ordnance inventory. Canberra released the military strategic review in April to overhaul the ADF’s posture and structure.
The Mulwala and Benalla investments call for a redesign of the infrastructure to ensure both factory sites are equipped for future production demands, including 155 mm artillery ammunition.
The funding will also provide the Mulwala factory with enhanced munition manufacturing processes, such as nondestructive testing.
The factory will also be equipped with a new ADF-developed industrial mixing methodology that can safely and quickly process different types of munitions.
The technology will enable increased production capacity for the BLU-111(AUS) aerial bombs of the Royal Australian Air Force, Defence Australia said.
