Boeing technology to power AIR6500 communications

• Boeing signs subcontract with Lockheed Martin Australia
• Currawong Battlespace Communications System voice and data technology to support AIR6500 command and control system

BRISBANE, Queensland, June 28, 2024 – Boeing [NYSE:BA] has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver the deployed communications elements of the Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) next generation Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) under AIR6500.

Drawing on the technology developed for the Currawong Battlespace Communications System, Boeing Defence Australia (BDA) will deliver hardware and software for voice and data services for the JABMS command and control system.

BDA’s distributed network system is already operating in-service with the ADF. It includes multiple transmission options, from Wideband Global Satellite to fibre to public networks, combined with innovative system management and networking software, to deliver high-quality, uninterrupted communications services and unprecedented levels of awareness and control.

In a true partnership model, BDA already has a team of people embedded within Lockheed Martin Australia’s business who have been undertaking preliminary works to support speed to capability. 

“This subcontract further cements our position as an industry-leading developer of deployable communications systems and demonstrates the value that defence industry partnerships bring to solving the ADF’s complex problems,” said Murray Brabrook, BDA Joint Systems director.

“Working collaboratively across industry ensures we achieve what matters most – connecting and protecting the warfighter and doing this more quickly than one organisation could do in isolation,” Brabrook said.  

Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand’s Kendell Kuczma, International Business Development Director for Rotary and Missions Systems said, “We are delighted to join forces with BDA to integrate cutting-edge communication technologies into AIR6500."

“I commend BDA’s engineers who, from day one, hit the ground running on AIR6500. The team has embraced the agile architecture of AIR6500 by leveraging the backbone of the Currawong Battlespace Communications technology and advancing it to provide an efficient and accelerated path to capability for the ADF.

“As we progress, Lockheed Martin Australia is committed to leveraging the full might of Australian industry to build a transformational capability, underpinned by best-of-breed sovereign technologies, that can be trusted to defend Australia and its national interests now and in the future.”

BDA launched its Battlespace Communications Systems Enterprise last year in recognition that the proven networking and communications technology developed for Currawong had application across land, maritime, air, space and cyber domains and could play a vital role in future joint command and control systems.

“We have already implemented components of the system across multiple platforms, including Army vehicles,” Brabrook said.  

About Boeing
As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.

About Lockheed Martin Australia
Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1,500 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, Defence and civil sectors.