Austal has enhanced its positioning for Australian and international defence programs by entering into an agreement with mission system integrator General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.

The companies aim to combine Austal’s shipbuilding, systems and support capabilities with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems’ expertise in systems integration to support future shipbuilding and sustainment programs.

Austal’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Bellamy, said the agreement would enable the companies to provide best value offerings to the marketplace.

“This agreement may involve partnerships to pursue opportunities with international governments and navies including Australian programs such as Project SEA 1180, the Royal Australian Navy’s Offshore Combatant Vessel,” he said.

The agreement builds upon existing arrangements between the companies including those for the Littoral Combat Ship Independence-variant and Joint High Speed Vessel programs. Austal is the prime contractor for those ships, while General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems designs, integrates and tests the electronic systems including the combat system, networks, and seaframe control.

“Our experience working with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems on those U.S. Navy programs over many years has been extremely positive both for Austal and our Navy customers,” Mr. Bellamy said.

“We look forward to building on that relationship and our in-house expertise to deliver similarly effective capabilities to other customers in the future,” he added.

General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, has extensive experience with both surface ships and submarines. The company’s innovative open architecture approach to systems integration allows for easy insertion of new technology advancements over the lifecycle of the ship, reducing overall costs.

“Like the ships Austal manufactures, our proven open architecture design ensures that the ships are able to keep pace with technology, giving the warfighters the capability they need, when they need it,” said Michael Tweed-Kent, vice president and general manager of General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems’ Mission Integration Systems division.

Mr. Tweed-Kent said the company’s open computing infrastructure (OPEN CI) provides a command and control infrastructure that can host a wide array of weapons, sensors, and combat system applications.

“This partnership extends the flexible and scalable OPEN CI design across the portfolio of ships and platforms that Austal builds,” he added.

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