Jane Edwards
Ian Irving, CEO of Northrop Grumman’s Australian arm, has said he predicts the company to expand its presence in Australia over the next three years as it aims to compete for defense acquisition contracts in the country, Defense News reported Thursday.
“There are five major projects in which we are likely to participate in the first eight months of the year, in addition to assisting the commonwealth with their Triton cooperation program with the U.S. Navy,†Irving was quoted as saying by Defense News.
Nigel Pittaway writes those projects include the Ground-Based Air and Missile Defense, Defense Enterprise Resource Plan, Ground-Based Air and Missile Defense, Defense ISR Integration Backbone and Core Simulation Capability programs, as well as the purchase of at least seven Northrop-built MQ-4C Triton unmanned maritime surveillance vehicles.
Irving noted the company is “in a position†to receive two new contracts by the end of 2017 and plans to set up a new facility in Australia to perform repair and upgrade work on F-35 fighter jet’s electronic components in the Asia-Pacific region, Pittaway reports.
He added the company’s Australian arm has increased its staff to approximately 500 employees in the last four years through its purchase of aviation services provider Qantas Defence Services and network security firm M5.
