Lockheed Martin Partners with Moog Australia to Advance Domestic GMLRS Missile Production
Lockheed Martin Australia has selected Moog Australia to develop a critical component for the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), a move signaling the growing emphasis on domestic defense manufacturing capabilities within the country. According to the article “Lockheed Martin Australia Awards Moog Contract To Develop GMLRS Rocket Component” published by Breaking Defense, the contract positions Moog at the forefront of a significant long-term weapons program aimed at enhancing Australia’s missile readiness and sovereign industrial capacity.
The development effort will center on Moog’s work on the tail actuation system, an essential part of the GMLRS’s flight control mechanism. This component ensures in-flight maneuverability and accuracy, and its local development is seen as a pivotal step in advancing Australia’s missile assembly and maintenance capabilities. Although the full details of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed, Lockheed Martin stated that the contract marks an important phase in Australia’s plan to manufacture the GMLRS domestically at a future missile production facility in Queensland.
The GMLRS is a combat-proven artillery rocket system currently in wide operational use among NATO and allied forces. The weapons are typically fired from High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and are valued for their precision and extended range. In recent years, the system has played a prominent role in conflict zones, including its use in Ukraine by forces countering Russian aggression.
Australia’s commitment to establishing a sovereign guided weapons manufacturing enterprise has been a government priority since the announcement of the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise in 2021. The partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia—one of the two prime contractors chosen to deliver on that mandate—is central to these plans. In this context, subcontracting to local firms like Moog is part of a broader strategy to ensure Australian industry can support, upgrade, and potentially export advanced missile systems.
Steve Froelich, vice president of Lockheed Martin’s global supply chain operations, emphasized that integrating Australian firms into global supply chains aligns with the company’s long-term investment in local talent, skills development, and advanced manufacturing. Leaders from both companies pointed to the opportunity as a way to deepen Australia’s high-tech industrial base and contribute to allied interoperability.
The contract’s announcement comes amid heightened regional security concerns and growing calls for faster development of Australia’s defense capabilities. As geopolitical dynamics shift in the Indo-Pacific, the ability to domestically produce and support precision weapon systems like the GMLRS is increasingly viewed as essential to national security.
Looking ahead, Moog’s successful delivery of the tail actuation system could pave the way for deeper participation in other missile programs, both in Australia and with allied nations. For Lockheed Martin and the Australian government, such partnerships represent more than just localized production—they reflect Australia’s broader ambition to become a capable and reliable participant in the global defense supply ecosystem.
