Major US defence company sets up in SA

The South Australian Government has announced that major US defence technology company Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has opened an Australian subsidiary, SNC AUS, in Adelaide’s Lot Fourteen precinct.

In 2023, the SA Government’s US trade office began working with SNC, which employs around 4000 people globally, to explore opportunities to stimulate economic growth in South Australia and play a pivotal role in the AUKUS agreement.

Premier Peter Malinauskas advocated the strength of the South Australian defence ecosystem when he met with SNC during a defence-focused trade mission to the US in May this year, before Trade and Investment Minister Joe Szakacs met with the company in September.

SNC specialises in aircraft modernisation and integration, electronic warfare technologies, and software solutions that enable connected protection through command, control and communications systems. Its Australian subsidiary will focus on delivering technologies including electronic warfare architecture, digital radio, and unmanned platforms and sensors.

SNC AUS will benefit from Lot Fourteen’s collaborative research and business ecosystem that is dedicated to driving productivity and solving complex global challenges across space, defence and critical technologies. The company is already engaged with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with plans to further expand its local presence and unlock new technology job opportunities for South Australians.

The new headquarters complements SNC’s existing presence in the United States and the United Kingdom, aligning with the AUKUS trilateral security partnership.

SNC AUS will co-locate at Lot Fourteen with world-leading organisations including the Australian Space Agency, SmartSat CRC, Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre, the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, Stone & Chalk and Amazon Web Services.

“We’re thrilled to welcome SNC to South Australia, a highly regarded addition to Lot Fourteen and our connected and coordinated defence and space ecosystem,” Szakacs said. “South Australia offers global companies such as SNC world-class research institutions, an enterprising and innovative business community and a highly skilled workforce, which builds on our proud history of delivering some of the nation’s largest and most complex defence projects.”

“We are excited to expand SNC’s global footprint to South Australia with the launch of SNC AUS,” said Stu Wildman, Senior Vice President of Business Development, SNC. “This strategic addition to our portfolio of companies is a critical and natural step as we focus on providing innovative, life-saving technology to AUKUS partners via Australia-built solutions.”

Image credit: Lot Fourteen