Australia is set to begin manufacturing Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles at a newly opened plant in Port Wakefield, South Australia by the end of 2025.
The facility has been completed in less than seven months by Intract Australia, an Indigenous-owned and operated company. It will become only the second site worldwide, after Lockheed Martin’s main facility in Camden, Arkansas, to produce GMLRS missiles.
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The Port Wakefield missile facility will enable Australian manufacturing of GMLRS all up rounds and launch pod containers.
According to Australian government, the Port Wakefield factory is expected to generate around 20 new on-site manufacturing roles and support several hundred positions across associated supply chains.
Meanwhile, the first group of Australian workers have been trained at Lockheed Martin’s Camden facility. This is expected to help facilitate knowledge transfer and enhance local defence capabilities.
The project aligns with the Albanese Government’s plan to invest up to A$21bn ($13.9bn) over ten years to secure long-range strike systems and manufacture longer-range munitions domestically. It also meets scheduled targets under Australia’s Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise plan announced last year.
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By GlobalDataActing Prime Minister Richard Marles said: “Starting missile production in Australia this year is a major step in building the industrial strength our nation needs. It’s about creating advanced manufacturing capability that will serve Australia for decades to come.
“This factory is part of a bigger picture – growing a high-tech industry that supports skilled jobs, drives innovation and strengthens Australia’s economy. It’s a clear example of what a future made in Australia looks like.”
Australia received approval from the US State Department in March 2025 for a potential foreign military sale involving Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System-Alternate Warhead (GMLRS-AW) rounds and associated equipment.
The agreement is valued at $91.2m (A$137m), with Lockheed Martin in the US and Lockheed Martin Australia named as the principal contractors.
The GMLRS missile system is launched from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), which have been acquired as part of the Australian Army’s long-range fires project.
In November 2025, Moog Australia and Lockheed Martin Australia signed a contract for the development of the control actuation system for GMLRS missile.
