Australia lays out short-term plan for GWEO Enterprise

The Australian DoD has accelerated the acquisition of a range of guided weapons including Tomahawk cruise missiles (pictured above). (US Navy)

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has outlined a short-term plan to accelerate the domestic development of guided weapons as part of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise, which was launched in 2021.

A DoD spokesperson told Janes that the Australian government has committed AUD2.5 billion (USD1.6 billion) over the next four years to accelerate the GWEO Enterprise.

The DoD “is working with its industry partners to develop detailed and costed plans for [the] expanded domestic production of guided weapons and their components”, the spokesperson said.

The government will consider these plans in 2024 consistent with the recommendation of the Defence Strategic Review (DSR), the spokesperson added.

The DSR – released in late April – recommended accelerating the development of guided weapons and establishing local missile and munition manufacturing facilities as part of the GWEO Enterprise.

At the 33rd Australia-US Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) held in Brisbane in late July, the US and Australia agreed to strengthen co-operation on the GWEO Enterprise.

“At the AUSMIN on 28 and 29 July 2023, Australia and the US agreed to deepen co-operation on Australia's GWEO Enterprise by collaborating on a flexible guided weapons production capability in Australia, with an initial focus on the potential for co-production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRSs) missiles by 2025,” the spokesperson added.

Australia's GWEO Enterprise is intended as a long-term initiative to develop local capability to undertake guided weapons research, development, testing, manufacturing, distribution, and maintenance.