Lockheed Martin has confirmed that Melbourne, Australia, will be the location for its upcoming Science Technology Engineering Leadership and Research Laboratory (STELaR Lab).
The multi-disciplinary research and development (R&D) facility is being established to tackle future technology challenges. Over three years, the company will invest an initial AUD$13 million in the facility.
The lab will house the company's national R&D operations centre for its current Australian research portfolio, and undertake internal additional R&D programmes. Researchers are set to explore several fields including command, control, communications, computing, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as robotics, autonomy and hypersonics.
The new STELaR Lab is scheduled to open in early 2017, located between the RMIT University and University of Melbourne.
Keoki Jackson, chief technology officer of Lockheed Martin, said: 'The decision to establish a multi-disciplinary R&D facility in Australia was partly based on Lockheed Martin's own track record of research and development success with Australia's Defence Science and Technology Group and Australian universities over the last 20 years.'
The initial document focused more on creating the right partnerships and inspiring investment in defence than on any details of how future UK Armed Forces would be armed.
The first stage of developing a new UK Defence Industrial Strategy has highlighted failings in current structures with solutions expected to be proposed in next year’s full strategy.
Romania joined NATO more than two decades ago and the country is vital to the alliance’s geographic reach and its ability to supply Ukraine with weapons.
Although Trump’s geopolitics policy for Europe remains unclear, defence analysts from the US and Europe predict how his incoming administration would attempt to handle critical issues on the continent.
The UK budget announced in Parliament on 30 October was the first by a Labour government in 14 years which has also launched a review into defence procurement programmes.
The Australian government has placed a focus on Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) which has included the purchase of additional long-range rocket systems and investments in local production of missiles.
Connect with us on socials
