 | Fleet Air Arm |
| Fleet Air Arm |
17 June 2011
BAE Systems and AgustaWestland have selected Nowra as the location of a new $40 million helicopter transmission testing facility, the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.
The facility will support the Australian Defence Force's helicopter fleets and provide global support opportunities.
The NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment, Andrew Stoner, and Member for South Coast, Shelley Hancock, congratulated the companies, saying the decision was "fantastic news for Nowra, the Shoalhaven and for NSW and its defence aerospace industry."
"Nowra is the ideal choice with its strong skills base, proven helicopter servicing operations and access to Canberra. I welcome this decision by BAE Systems and AgustaWestland," Mrs Hancock said.
Ten new jobs are expected to be created in the first stage, with significant growth expected over the long term.
AgustaWestland and BAE Systems announced plans in March 2011 to establish the test facility in Australia.
They said the facility, known as a Multi-Purpose Test Bench (MPTB), would be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere. The MPTB would be a state-of-the-art, high-tech repair and overhaul facility for helicopter transmission systems and flight critical dynamic components.
The companies said the Australian Defence Force had actively sought this capability and its establishment would deliver a critical in-country support capability to the ADF which in turn would guarantee a faster turn-around and a cost-effective sustainment solution.
The facility was expected to be operational by 2014 and to attract high-end aviation technical support jobs.
It would also be custom designed to meet the geo-seismic preconditions required to guarantee absolute stability during testing and analysis of gearboxes and transmission systems.
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