Strategic Partnership Formed for Naval Ammunition Production

The agreement between NIOA and Diehl Defence includes technology transfer to enable Australian production of Diehl 5” naval munition including high explosives, practice projectiles and propelling charges By DA Staff / 11 Oct 2022

Discover Leading Defense Technology Solutions

Discover cutting-edge solutions from leading global suppliers
SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT
NIOA-Diehl
Follow DA

Australian-owned NIOA has revealed it will team up with German defense equipment manufacturer Diehl Defence in a step towards the local production and supply of naval munitions in Australia. 

Under the agreement, announced at the Land Forces 2022 International Defense Exposition in Brisbane, Diehl will transfer technology to NIOA to enable Australian production of the Diehl 5” naval munition family including high explosives, practice projectiles and propelling charges.

Besides the conventional ammunition portfolio of Diehl, NIOA and Diehl are also evaluating possible cooperation in the areas of the guided long range ammunition capabilities and products of Diehl Defence.

NIOA hopes to utilize its newly commissioned joint venture Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions [RNM] plant in Maryborough, Queensland for shell case production with the filling and finishing occuring at Benalla in regional Victoria where NIOA has a long-term lease at the Commonwealth Government-owned munitions facility.

Diehl Defence CEO Helmut Rauch said the collaboration with NIOA was a significant step forward for the two companies and comes 15 months after they signed a memorandum of understanding to support sovereign munitions manufacture.

“This agreement paves the way for Diehl to bring its world-leading expertise to Australia to support NIOA in the development of sovereign capability,” he said. “Our highly advanced naval ammunition is used by navies worldwide and ensures the highest level of effectiveness and safety for a warship and its crew.”

“NIOA and Diehl share the same strategic ambitions – to build defense capability,” said NIOA Group CEO Robert Nioa. “Diehl is known worldwide for its ammunition technology. This partnership means we are well positioned to accelerate the Australian manufacture of superior naval munitions, ensuring supply surety for the ADF.”

NIOA has invested more than $15 million in upgrades at Benalla over the past two years, including $2 million to provide a permanent base for the company and another $13 million to reinvigorate manufacturing capabilities.

The NIOA tenancy houses the Australian Defense Force’s domestic production facilities for primary energetics, pyrotechnics, medium caliber, mortar and tank ammunition, hand grenades, fuzes, primers and various munitions test facilities.

According to NIOA, the $90 million RNM factory in Maryborough is the most advanced artillery shell forging plant of its type on the world, using a 1250-ton hot forging press and computerized machinery to produce 155mm projectiles and metal parts for other munition variants.

Posted by DA Staff Connect & Contact

Latest Articles

Meltio’s Metal 3D Printing Technology Introduced in Mexico

Meltio’s wire-laser metal 3D printing technology has been introduced in Mexico through a strategic alliance with Sitres Latam, Alar, and Tecnológico de Monterrey, with applications spanning industry, education, and research

May 16, 2025
New RF C-UAS Technology for Mobile & Fixed-Site Operations

AeroVironment is introducing Titan 4, a compact and lightweight RF counter-UAS system designed to detect and neutralize small drone threats rapidly, supports mobile, dismounted, or fixed-site use

May 16, 2025
Dual Role AUV Torpedo Expands Undersea Warfare Capabilities

Vatn Systems unveils the Skelmir S12 AUV-torpedo hybrid and a new manufacturing facility, advancing modular undersea warfare capabilities for multi-domain deployment

May 16, 2025
Who to see at Xponential 2025

Defense Advancement is pleased to be collaborating with so many companies participating in AUVSI's Xponential this year...

May 15, 2025
EOD/IED & Countermine Symposium to Spotlight Advances in Counter-IED Capabilities

DSI's EOD/IED & Countermine Symposium is returning for its 12th annual gathering on July 16–17 in National Harbor, MD, convening experts and solution providers from the DoD, federal government, academia, and industry

May 15, 2025
Protector RG Mk1 Issued Military Type Certification by the UK

GA-ASI has become the first manufacturer of large, unmanned aircraft to receive an MTC (Military Type Certificate) following the issue from UK’s Military Aviation Authority to the Royal Air Force’s Protector RG Mk1

May 15, 2025

Featured Content

Next-Gen Group 2 UAS Enters Production with Extended Endurance & Upgrades

Aurora Flight Sciences upgrades the SKIRON-X Group 2 UAS with greater versatility and tactical mission endurance, as well as announcing the hydrogen-powered SKIRON-XLE variant

May 13, 2025
Discover ANELLO’s SiPhOG™ for GNSS-Denied Navigation at XPO25

CEO of ANELLO Photonics, Dr. Mario Paniccia, will present at Xponential 2025 on the company's SiPhOG-based inertial navigation technology in GPS-denied and GNSS-contested environments.

May 09, 2025
U.S. Army Partnership Advances Autonomous Helicopter Logistics Program

The U.S. Army is partnering with Honeywell and Near Earth Autonomy to retrofit Black Hawk helicopters with scalable autonomy kits for uncrewed logistics operations

May 08, 2025
Advancing Defense Capability Through Strategic Collaboration Defense Advancement works with major OEMs to foster collaboration and increase engagement with SMEs, to accelerate innovation and drive defense capabilities forward.