The Australian Department of Defense (DoD) and Airbus Australia Pacific have signed an Edinburgh Aerospace Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Enterprise common services deed.
The deed aims to establish a common workforce to facilitate niche trades at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Edinburgh in Adelaide, Australia.
Established in 2021, Edinburgh Aerospace ISR Enterprise is the hub for national defense research and ISR capabilities. It was created to provide an additional integrated industrial base for the RAAF’s ISR fleet.
As part of the initial work under the new services deed, an integrated workforce will be created using only one common provider for the required niche trades.
The broader scope of work will also include the potential expansion to provide other common services in support of the RAAF’s ISR fleet.
The fleet includes the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the MC-55 Peregrine electronic warfare aircraft and the MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft system (UAS).
Australian DoD Aerospace Surveillance and Response director general air commodore Jason Agius said: “The Edinburgh ISR precinct is home to some of the most advanced airborne ISR platforms in the world.
“This deed signed with Airbus Australia Pacific today will enable more efficient support for our Air Force ISR fleets in South Australia and encourage further integration between our industry partners.”
Agius noted that the latest effort is also expected to boost the efficiency of the niche trade workforce in South Australia.
It will further provide more flexibility to the associated industry partners, allowing them to quickly address the DoD’s requirements.
He added: “This initiative provides a framework to increase the efficiency of a workforce to support multiple small fleets of aircraft and provides a basis for the extension of support to additional platforms if required.”