Thales Research & Development Team in Lithgow set to Grow for Future Battlespace Needs

The Small Arms Research & Development (R&D) team in Lithgow is about to double as it anticipates the future technology requirements of a digitised battlespace for the Australian Defence Force (ADF), Thales Australia said today.

With the Thales designed and manufactured EF88 in service with the ADF, the R&D team are looking to make radical, innovative enhancements to future small arms capability, and are looking for an additional nine of the “best and brightest” engineers to join their ranks.

Director Soldier Weapons Systems at Thales, Graham Evenden said that this push for development is a direct response to drive and maximise the benefit of new manufacturing processes, novel materials and AI.

“We have some really exciting, technologically disruptive R&D projects going on right now, with a lot more on the horizon. Working together with our industry and academic partners, we are aiming to deliver a ‘best of breed’ capability and ensure we support a robust and enduring Sovereign Industry Capability.

“These projects are creating new roles within our R&D team, in fact it will be doubling in size. And when you look at the wider industrial ecosystem, it’s creating a lot more opportunities for growth for our SME supply chain and our partners in academia.

“Army is looking towards the future and how to best meet the challenges of the changing threat environment in order to be ‘future ready’,” he said.

“We’ve been a trusted partner of the Australian Army since our Small Arms factory in Lithgow began manufacturing rifles in 1912, and we are investing heavily to ensure we are on the journey forwards with them, ”Evenden added.

The new roles within the team will come from a broad range of engineering disciplines and will engage closely with industry, academia, and premier research bodies such as DST Group and CSIRO. –shp/mgm (Image: Thales Australia)