EOS and Nova form Joint Venture to create a Sovereign Guided Weapons Enterprise

Two of Australia’s leading defence companies, Electro Optic Systems (EOS) and Nova Systems, have announced the first 100% Australian-controlled joint venture to deliver the Commonwealth’s sovereign guided weapons enterprise – the Sovereign Missile Alliance (SMA).

The SMA will offer the Commonwealth an Australian-owned, -operated and -controlled sovereign strategic industry partner that will establish and deliver a Sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEOE) capability in the short, medium and long-term.

The new Joint Venture has a combined workforce of 1,000 local employees and a domestic supply chain of more than 600 Australian businesses, says EOS. It adds, the SMA has the resources, funding and breadth of capabilities, products and technologies to uniquely provide the critical mass required to initiate the GWEOE, including:

• Sovereign management and control
• An extensive supply chain network qualified to defence aerospace standards
• Design and development of military aerospace products
• Test and evaluation, certification and systems assurance
• Systems integration
• Rocket motors and propulsion
• Advanced technology from the largest R&D and tertiary collaboration programs in Australian defence industry.

As a mid-tier entity of scale, the SMA can leverage its sovereign partner companies EOS and Nova Systems and their established and resilient sovereign supply chain.

A critical objective of the enterprise, say the partners, will be to remain missile vendor neutral overall. As the sovereign guided weapons enterprise, the SMA will not require the approvals or permissions of foreign partners to deliver Australia’s current and emerging missile requirements.

“The sovereign capability to deliver guided weapons already exists in-country and the SMA creates an Australian owned entity of scale with the required capabilities, resources, funding and established relationships across the broader Defence ecosystem to start this journey with the Commonwealth now,” said Jim McDowell, Group CEO, Nova Systems.

“The SMA will establish a sustainable, domestic capacity through a Common User Facility to manufacture customer-selected foreign missiles under license, using our indigenous supply chain,” said Dr Ben Greene, Group CEO, EOS.

“We have the core competencies, advanced R&D capabilities, existing IP, and established technology partnerships to create the next generation of guided weapons optimised for Australian requirements with full sovereign ownership and control. The Common User Facility will progressively move to produce these missiles.”