Australia has said it will jointly produce long-range naval strike missiles and joint strike missiles (Joint Strike Missile) with Norwegian manufacturer Kongsberg Defense, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy said the Australian government would contribute A$850 million (US$574 million) to the establishment of a manufacturing base in the Newcastle Airport area later this year, with production starting in 2027 .
The anti-ship cruise missiles will be used by the Australian Defense Force. It will be one of only two facilities in the world capable of producing such rockets, and the only site outside of Kongsberg, Norway.
Australia has said the missiles will enhance the Australian Defense Force's long-range precision strike capability amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region.
"There is huge global demand and supply chain constraints around the world. So not only is it cost-competitive to build here, it will actually deliver the rockets faster than if we relied on a production line overseas," Conroy said at a news conference in Newcastle. "There are huge opportunities to export these missiles as well."
Marine attack missiles are used by the US Marines to equip ground trucks with anti-ship capabilities, Conroy said.
"We will have the capacity not only to maintain and upgrade our missiles; potentially we can also do this for United States forces that may be deployed in the Indo-Pacific," he added.
About 2,000 US Marines have a rotating presence in northern Australia for six months of the year.
The Joint Strike Missile is the only strike missile that can be carried by the F-35 fighter jet.
Australia has two squadrons of F-35 stealth fighters based at Williamtown near Newcastle and at the RAAF's Tyndall base in northern Australia, which is being upgraded by the United States to also accept American bombers.
Australia is also developing a hypersonic missile and will begin joint production of guided missiles with the US next year.