NIOA has marked a key milestone in sovereign munitions manufacturing by commencing the production of primary explosives at the Government-owned Contractor-operated (GOCO) munitions facility in Benalla, Victoria.
The explosives are being manufactured for the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) F1A1 grenade, in collaboration with Benalla co-tenants Australian Munitions.
The development is being hailed as an important achievement in assuring a secure, ongoing sovereign supply of explosives, components and products critical to ADF requirements.
It also marks the expansion of NIOA’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities, ensuring the ADF has access to explosives for use in grenades, detonators and other munitions.
This milestone comes after the primary explosives precinct at Benalla transitioned to NIOA earlier this year.
The company’s tenancy at Benalla supports a wide range of production capabilities, including primary energetics, pyrotechnics, medium calibre, mortar and tank ammunition, hand grenades, fuzes, primers, and laboratory testing facilities.
NIOA Australia and New Zealand chief executive Ben James described the achievement as a demonstration of effective collaboration between industry and government.
“NIOA’s production of primary energetics at Benalla is a key milestone in collaboration between NIOA, the Commonwealth, explosive manufacture regulatory bodies and a range of domestic suppliers,” he said.
“NIOA maintains a deep commitment to work with the Commonwealth in growing safe and scalable primary explosive manufacturing capability to support current and future ADF sovereign munitions requirements. Our ongoing investment in these manufacturing capabilities, along with our integrated approach with co-tenants Australian Munitions, will improve resilience of the ADF’s munitions supply chains.”
The company has already invested more than $12 million into its operations at Benalla, which include production lines for 30mm Boxer Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle ammunition, 35mm cannon rounds and 120mm Abrams tank shells.
The move strengthens Australia’s domestic defence industrial base, providing greater resilience against global supply chain disruptions and ensuring the ADF has reliable access to critical munitions.
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