The LAND FORCES 2022 International Land Defence Exposition will return to Brisbane in October, supported by the Australian Army and featuring a new training and simulation conference as part of its program of industry engagement.
The LAND FORCES 2022 International Land Defence Exposition is being held on 4-6 October 2022 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre (BCEC).
The event will again be held with the support of the Australian Army.
Land Forces 2021 provided key opportunities for defence industry to demonstrate leading-edge technologies to assist the Australian Army meet the challenges of today and the future.
“The 2021 event enabled Army and other Defence agencies to engage with national and international industries and Australian university and industry researchers and innovators,” said Head Land Capability, Major General Simon Stuart.
“Following on from Army’s events, including Army Innovation Day, Army Robotic Expo and Quantum Technology Challenge, Land Forces 2022 brings together Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, Office of Defence Industry Support, Defence Innovation Hub and Defence Science and Technology Group.”
Major General Stuart said the Australian Government continues to invest $270 billion to modernise Australia’s defence capability with the 2020 Force Structure Plan detailing a planned A$55 billion investment in support of the Australian Army as part of the joint force.
Released in 2021, the Australian Army Industry statement outlines the commitment toward strengthening Army’s collaboration and partnership with industry to meet the challenges of Accelerated Warfare; to be ready now and future ready.
The 2021 Land Forces exposition achieved the following benchmarks:
- 718 participating exhibitors
- 12,766 attendees from industry, government and defence
- 28 conferences, seminars and industry briefings
- Participation by Defence and the Australian Army, including personal visits by the Chief of Army and Minister for Defence Industry
- Stands hosted by all States and Territories
Justin Giddings, Chief Executive Officer of Land Forces organiser AMDA Foundation, expects that Land Forces 2022 will meet or exceed the benchmarks set by Land Forces 2021.
“Despite the challenges of COVID, feedback from the very first day of Land Forces 2021 showed that the defence industry was excited to be back to face-to-face engagement and renewing business relationships in person,” Mr Giddings said.
“With Land Forces 2022 certain to provide a springboard for recovery in the wake of the pandemic, the LAND FORCES team looks forward to once again providing defence, industry and government with a professional exposition that will allow the whole land defence community to engage on the issues that are important to the defence of our nation.”
With the anticipated lifting of travel and border restrictions, Land Forces 2022 should see more significant levels of international delegations and international industry participation.
“The Australian Army looks forward to continued dialogue with Industry and collaboration with the AMDA Foundation at Land Forces 2022,” Major General Stuart said.
The 2020 Force Structure Plan will ultimately see A$270 billion invested across Australia’s land, air, sea and space capabilities, to support a capable, resilient and agile Australian Defence Force, and sustain a sovereign industrial base that is internationally competitive and innovative to meet Australia’s defence capability needs and national economic goals.
The Land Forces International Land Defence Exposition will provide an engagement platform to further these programs, combining civil and military conferences, an international industry exhibition and formal networking systems and events, to connect key players in government, defence and industry.
The conference program is under development, covering major themes of industry capability, innovation and sovereign capability. This will be augmented by presentations and symposia from Australian prime contractors, government agencies involved in acquisition programs and industry development, and a raft of exhibiting companies from Australia and around the world.
As a new addition to its comprehensive program, Land Forces 2022 will be the first to host the new Australian Training, Simulation and Education Conference (AusTsec). To be staged in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Simulation Alliance (APSA), the conference will host leaders in defence training and simulation who will share their vision for the future of training in the ADF.
AusTsec will explore how training needs inform development of simulation technology and systems, and will detail recent innovations in capability and application. Leading industry experts in training and simulation will join defence and other NGO international workforces to address the multi-national audience.
Land Forces will be a platform for engagement between Defence agencies responsible for acquiring the Australian Army’s new capability and the industry that will deliver the technologies, products and support. It will provide a timely engagement platform between Army and industry, and between all levels of industry from prime contractor to micro-SME.
In keeping with its mission to promote Australian industry, Land Forces 2022 will again feature its prestigious Innovation Awards program.
The Innovation Awards program was created to promote the development of Australia’s industrial, manufacturing and information/communications technology resources in the fields of aviation, aerospace, maritime, defence and security.
The awards are open to Australian companies or the Australian subsidiaries of overseas parent companies. The innovation could be a new product or service, or a new approach to business. Entries are judged on originality and their understanding of user needs.
They were presented for the first time at the 2013 Australian International Airshow and Aerospace & Defence Exposition (Avalon 2013). Since then the program has presented SME Innovation Grants and Young Innovator Awards at AMDA Foundation’s Land Forces, Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition and Avalon expositions, to a total value of more than $450,000.
Past Land Forces Innovation Award winners have included South Australian SME Micro-X, which has developed the world’s first mobile, lightweight X-Ray machine; Spee3D, with operations in Victoria and the Northern Territory, for its battlefield 3D printing system developed to shorten the Army’s supply chain; and Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) researcher Dr. Brodie McDonald, a young researcher in Melbourne who has led the development of computer models to predict how the armour on military vehicles will behave under the onslaught of an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) or land mine.
The Land Forces 2022 International Land Defence Exposition will run from 4-6 October at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information go to www.landforces.com.au
.jpg)
