Rebecca Brickhill is Engineering Manager – Underwater at Saab Australia and has been in the defence industry for more than 15 years. Following completion of an undergraduate degree and Masters in Engineering, she worked in the commercial industry for a few years before applying for a role at Saab. In her current role, Rebecca manages a team of engineers, as well as the outcomes and approval for Saab Australia’s Submarine and Underwater vehicle programs. Ahead of International Women’s Day 2022, Defence SA spoke to Rebecca about her experiences building a career within a traditionally male-dominated industry. What attracted you to ...

A dedicated South Australian taskforce for the Nuclear-powered Submarine Program established in early February 2022 has been publicly announced. The South Australia Government Submarine Taskforce will support the Nuclear-powered Submarine Taskforce established in the Department of Defence to deliver an optimal pathway for the submarine program keeping local industry capability at the forefront. The taskforce, chaired by Defence SA, will work closely with state government agencies, local industry and local government representatives to discuss key focus areas including safety, environmental protection, facilities and infrastructure, industrial base capacity and workforce. A process will also be undertaken to engage members across the ...

South Australia will be home to a purpose-built 737 deep maintenance and modification facility. Announced at the weekend, the $160 million facility is being built as a partnership between the South Australian Government and the Department of Defence. Development of this facility will provide the critical infrastructure necessary for the maintenance and upgrade of the RAAF’s P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, and the E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. The P-8A and the E-7A are both military derivatives of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Providing a long-term deep maintenance and modification facility adjacent RAAF Base Edinburgh for both types ...

South Australian university students have the opportunity to kick-start their careers in the defence industry, with BAE Systems Australia launching their graduate recruitment drive for 2023.    Recently welcoming 58 graduates to its national defence and security business, BAE Systems Australia now has 90 positions available across a wide range of fields, including engineering, project management, finance, human resources and commercial. The graduate program offers tailored training and mentoring, flexible work practices and the opportunity to collaborate and network with other graduates across the country. Students can choose to be placed into an ongoing role or to experience three one-year structured ...

Adelaide-based welding manufacturer K-TIG has announced a research and development facility will be built within BAE Systems' Factory of the Future. The R&D facility is set to help the manufacturer demonstrate and further evolve the application of its robotic welding capabilities within multiple industries. Adrian Smith, Managing Director of K-TIG, said this would also support Australia’s domestic naval shipbuilding capacity and enhance development of local industry. “Put simply, K-TIG’s advanced welding technology means welding is stronger, faster and more cost effective,” Smith said. “A traditional multi-hour weld can be done in less than four minutes to a higher quality and ...

A new agreement has been signed between South Australia and the United Kingdom this month, unlocking billions of dollars in economic activity. The three-year memorandum of understanding was signed during a recent visit from UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. It is set to deepen the state’s relationship with the UK in the defence, cyber and space industries, whilst also making it easier for local businesses to break into the UK market and help implement the AUKUS agreement. The deal was struck following a visit to the state-of-the-art Osborne Naval Shipyard – set to be home to the construction of Australia’s ...

COVID UPDATE - Permissions for close contact critical workers to return to worksite during quarantine period for COVID-19 Changes have been made to the Exposure Sites, Contacts and Diagnosis Requirements Direction in South Australia effective from 12.01 am on 13 January 2022. Today’s changes provide permissions during times of significant COVID case numbers in South Australia, for close contact critical workers to return to a worksite during a quarantine period for COVID-19. Close contact critical workers are certain workers who will be required to attend work despite being a close contact of a COVID case. The explicit reason for this ...

Georgia Robertson is breaking down barriers and leading the way for women in the defence sector. Georgia Robertson was told she shouldn’t do an apprenticeship as a mechanical fitter and turner. So she went out and did it. She was also told she shouldn’t enter a male-dominated engineering field. So she did. Today, her efforts have more than paid off, having worked her way up to the role of quality assurance/defence security officer at Axiom Precision Manufacturing, charged with ensuring quality manufacturing standards are met and security measures adhered to. Robertson’s pathway to a career in the defence sector began ...

A major step forward in Australia’s continuous naval shipbuilding program has been achieved, with the launch of Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), NUSHIP Arafura. NUSHIP Arafura is the first of two new Arafura class OPVs being constructed in South Australia by Luerssen Australia at the world-class Osborne Naval Shipyard. Since construction began in 2018, a number of local businesses at all stages of the supply chain have been involved in the OPV program. Local industry involvement includes: Saab Australia is partnered with Luerssen on the design and integration of the Arafura class Situational Awareness System (SAS) Raytheon Australia is capability life ...

Hosted by the University of South Australia and supported by Defence SA, the Re-Engineering Australia (REA) programs saw over 100 South Australian students develop a wide range of STEM skills to design and build miniature submarines and F1 race cars. Three South Australian schools participated in Subs in Schools, with The Heights School winning first place in the remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) class, and Brighton Secondary School taking out spatial design and submarine categories. Brighton Secondary School will go on to compete in the national finals in Melbourne, from 4-8 April 2022, while The Heights School and St Peter’s ...

South Australian company DEWC Systems is one step closer to developing sovereign electronic warfare capability for Defence, after joining forces with local company REDARC Defence Systems. Under the multi-million dollar agreement, REDARC will support DEWC by designing and manufacturing capabilities to further enhance and complement DEWC’s growing portfolio of state-of-the-art electronic warfare solutions. Established in 2018, DEWC Systems has already developed a strong reputation for innovation, and as the first Australian company to launch a payload on a space capable rocket from Australian soil, helped lead Australia into the Space 4.0 era. Earlier this week, the company announced a strategic ...