Lockheed Martin secures contract to deliver JABMS to Australia

Lockheed Martin has secured a AUD500 million contract to provide a Joint Air Battle Management System to the Australian Defence Force. (Lockheed Martin Australia)

Lockheed Martin has secured a contract worth AUD500 million (USD323 million) from the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) to build a Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

The JABMS will be built under the second tranche of the DoD's Project Air 6500 Phase 1, Lockheed Martin announced on 24 April.

According to the DoD, Project Air 6500 Phase 1 will deliver the core architecture for the ADF's future Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capability through the delivery of a command-and-control (C2) system that will enable forces to co-ordinate and synchronise air and missile defence capabilities.

Lockheed Martin said the JABMS will use “next-generation” technologies to combat high-speed threats. The company added that it has recently developed an Operator Evaluation System for the JABMS.

“This [Operator Evaluation System] was delivered ahead of schedule and on budget. Using this system, [the DoD's] air battle managers can access a secure test environment to provide feedback on [Project Air 6500 Phase 1's] design and functionality. This feedback will inform future development activities,” Lockheed Martin said.

Australian Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy said at a press conference on 24 April that the JABMS will be the “brains” of the ADF's IAMD system. “[The JABMS] will co-ordinate [the ADF's] air defence, whether it's Joint Strike Fighters or Super Hornets or the like,” Conroy said.