The Australian government has announced AUD2.4 billion in funding over six years for the second tranche of the country’s AIR 6500 integrated air and missile defence programme.
The investment will support the Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS), which connects information and capabilities across the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to provide a common view of the battlespace and support command and control (C2) decision-making. The programme is part of Australia’s planned AUD30 billion investment in layered, integrated air and missile defence over the coming decade.
Under Tranche 2B, Lockheed Martin Australia has received a AUD1.32 billion contract to advance and sustain AIR 6500. The work will enhance the system’s core architecture with advanced C2 aids, expanded communications and cybersecurity, supporting resilient networked sensor and C2 capabilities.
The wider AUD2.4 billion investment will replace the existing system and modernise air-surveillance and aircraft-control functions while supporting the coordination of defence operations in Australia and overseas. The capability will connect current and future platforms including Hobart-class destroyers, F-35A Lightning II aircraft and the accelerated Medium-Range Ground-Based Air Defence system.
The Australian government said the programme will support more than 360 highly skilled jobs in the Hunter Region and South Australia and strengthen Australia’s sovereign defence industrial base.
The programme is intended to improve the ADF’s ability to detect, track and respond to increasingly sophisticated air and missile threats while integrating capabilities across domains.
For more information
https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/media-releases/2026-09-09/24-billion-investment-air-missile-defence
(Image: Australian Department of Defence)
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