Babcock Australasia has completed an A$7m ($4.5m) expansion of its facility at Woodville North, South Australia.
The development enhances the company’s capacity to support critical defence projects, including the AUKUS initiative. The extension increases the facility’s total area by 50%, now covering 6,000m2.
Originally opened in October last year, the A$31m facility accommodates over 100 staff involved in significant national programmes, such as the Collins Class submarine fleet, Hunter Class frigates, and Defence’s Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (C-CBRNE) programme.
To future-proof its operations, Babcock has installed two new ten-tonne overhead cranes at the site. The cranes will support various projects, aligning with the company’s strategic goals to bolster the AUKUS endeavour.
The expanded facility also includes a specialised production and test area dedicated to upgrading and enhancing the Defence High Frequency Communications System (JP9101).
The A$877m programme represents Babcock Australasia’s largest contract to date. A team of 18 specialist engineers will conduct integration testing of the communications system before its deployment across Australia.
The project was delivered in partnership with Commercial & General, creating over 100 construction jobs during the six-month build.
Babcock Australasia CEO Andrew Cridland said: “Babcock continues to future-proof its capability through further expanding our operations in South Australia.
“Our A$7m Woodville North expansion enables us to deliver critical current Defence priorities such as our work supporting key programs like JP9101, and future national priorities, like AUKUS.
“We are excited to continue to expand our operations in South Australia – it allows us to support more jobs and provide exciting career opportunities to attract local, national and interstate talent to the state.”
