A proud history and an even brighter future — that was the message at a ceremony at the Lithgow Thales Small Arms Factory yesterday when an audience of VIP guests and the entire workforce gathered to launch a new era for the landmark facility.
The occasion was the official opening of the Thales Australian Soldier Systems Development and Support Centre.
In his first official role since his appointment as Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Paul Symon officially opened the centre.
The event marks an important development in the type of work carried out at the strategically significant site.
Managing Director Chris Jenkins said that while previously focused on the precision manufacturing of small arms, Thales will now offer a wider range of services — what he described as a one stop shop’ — including engineering, design, procurement, logistics and project management to the Defence Materials Organisation and international customers.
He said the new strategy is designed to offer the best possible support as the Australian Defence Force undergoes its own transformation under the Adaptive Army and other initiatives.
“Thales’s Soldier System business is moving beyond pure manufacturing and becoming an even more flexible and customer focused operation,” Mr Jenkins said.
“We can integrate the latest technologies into various weapons platforms and help shape how the soldier of the future will be able to operate.”
The ADF current standard issue assault rifle, the F88 Austeyr is made in Lithgow and has been in service since 1989.
Thales recently signed a contract to deliver the initial design and production prototypes for a next generation enhanced F88 Integrated Rifle System.
The company has also been contracted to refurbish existing rifles to produce an upgraded Austeyr known as the F88SA2.
Already in production it provides greater capability to ADF personnel while filling a short term capability gap until the enhanced weapon becomes available.
Mr Jenkins said these contracts will ensure the ADF continues to be equipped with the best available small arms weapons system for the protection of its servicemen and women on deployment around the world.
They also build on the strategic small arms capability established at the Lithgow facility which employs around 140 people.
“This combination of small arms manufacturing and systems engineering is unique in Australia and unique to Thales,” Mr Jenkins said.
“We are well placed to deliver new solutions to the customer in highly integrated and effective ways.”
Major General Symons said life in the armed forces was a 24/7 job that required 24/7 support.
He was high in his praise of the quality of production that had come from the Lithgow Small Arms Factory since World War I and said it was clear from yesterday’s inspection that the staff of today were dedicated and genuinely enthusiastic about maintaining these high standards.
General Symons said it was significant that the new generation of soldier support systems should be launched this year, the centenary of the year that the Federal Government decided on the establishment of the factory at Lithgow.
He said it was purely a coincidence that Minister for Defence, Joseph Cooke, was also the Member for the Lithgow area at the time Lithgow was given the nod as site for the factory.
“This is a great facility that has provided great support for the Australian Defence Force over a long time,” he said.
The opening was conducted during a luncheon attended by City Council and government representatives, representatives of Thales partner companies and high ranking military personnel.
The entire factory workforce also attended the luncheon in a marquee set up in the factory grounds.