Avalon will soon be home to a major defence manufacturing facility, bringing more than 300 new jobs to the Geelong region, the Victorian Government has announced today.
Minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula today welcomed Hanwha Defense Australia’s announcement that its $170 million Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence will be established at the Avalon Airport Industrial Precinct.
He said Hanwha will use the new Avalon facility to build self-propelled howitzers to deliver the Commonwealth’s approximately $1 billion LAND 8116 program.
“The investment will strengthen the state’s defence capabilities and create hundreds of highly skilled local jobs in design, engineering and advanced manufacturing,” the Minister said.
Construction on the 32,000 square metre state-of-the-art facility is expected to start later this year and take two years to complete – creating more than 100 jobs during construction.
“The Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence will become the home of Hanwha tracked vehicle operations in Australia and, if successful under the Land 400 phase 3 program, the home of our Redback family of vehicles for both the Australian Defence Force and global markets,” said Hanwha Defense Australia Managing Director, Richard Cho.
Hanwha Corporation is South Korea’s largest defence company and also operates in other sectors including aerospace, fintech, mining and clean energy. Hanwha Defense Australia was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Melbourne.
In January 2021, the Victorian Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hanwha to formalise a long-term partnership to support the establishment of Hanwha’s defence manufacturing operations in the state.
Hanwha is also one of the final two bidders to deliver the Commonwealth Government’s multi-billion LAND 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program. If successful, Hanwha will create more than 1,000 jobs in the Geelong region over the next 12 years and an estimated $5.7 billion for Victoria’s economy.
