Navy Operations to benefit from Thales – Orbis Partnership
Thales Australia and U.S Navy Industrial Enterprise partner, ORBIS Sibro Inc (ORBIS Inc), have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the advancement of maritime sustainment operations in support of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at Fleet Base East, Garden Island, Sydney. The new partnership will help accelerate and future proof Australia’s maritime sustainment capability in support of the Australian Government’s National Naval Shipbuilding and Sustainment Enterprise.
The new collaboration combines Thales’s 30+ year pedigree of Naval Ship Sustainment and Support in Australia and Canada with ORBIS Inc’s extensive experience and intimate knowledge developing, delivering, and supporting the U.S. Navy’s current and future maritime sustainment solutions – the inspiration for the Royal Australian Navy’s Plan Galileo.
Over the past 20 years, Veteran Owned ORBIS Inc has developed extensive knowledge, experience and expertise in establishing sustainment system solutions for major U.S Navy and partner programs. Under these programs, ORBIS Inc played a leading role collaborating with the U.S Navy’s Naval Sea Systems Command, Warfare Centres, Program Executive Offices and the National Industrial Base to develop near and long-term solutions to critical infrastructure and industrial base challenges.
Under this agreement, Thales Australia and ORBIS Inc will focus on a range of initiatives including technological innovation and shipyard infrastructure optimisation, as well as further developing the naval sustainment industrial base and workforce. To accelerate capability advancement at Fleet Base East, the companies have recently completed preliminary feasibility studies and extensive reviews of Australia’s existing naval sustainment and support operations, workforce development and optimisation, as well as upskilling and mentoring programs.
In a more challenging Indo-Pacific, this new US-Australia maritime sustainment partnership brings together two world-leading engineering and technology companies that will help strengthen the naval support and maintenance ecosystem in the region, whilst assuring fleet readiness, availability and interoperability of Australian and allied partner current and future maritime capabilities.
Thales Australia has supported the RAN and Australian commercial fleets with ship support, sustainment and lifecycle management from Fleet Base East, Garden Island Sydney, for over 20 years. Since 2014 the Thales Australia has successfully executed 350 military and commercial ship dockings, employing over 800 highly skilled people, and investing in the development of over 100 apprentices in that time.
Max Kufner, Vice President, Above Water Systems, Thales Australian & New Zealand said, “This partnership will help deliver greater integration of platform and infrastructure through digitisation and automation of the maritime sustainment environment, which is necessary to increase the readiness, availability and performance of RAN fleets and assets.
Leveraging the world-leading technologies available to us through our reach back into the Thales Group, as well as establishing key partnerships such as this one, will allow us to leverage the deep knowledge, experience and best practice capabilities ORBIS has in its engagement with the U.S Navy that will help the RAN shape, deter and respond.”
Greg Thomas, Vice President, Submarine Initiatives, Orbis Inc, said, “Orbis’s origin and roots are in the United States’ Navy’s submarine program. As the requirements for integration and interoperability grew, Orbis leveraged and applied the knowledge, experience, and expertise developed through its submarine experience to broader Navy-wide challenges, including global supply chain, shore infrastructure, and other sustainment eco-system challenges. Partnering with Thales to lead critical elements of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Plan Galileo is as much an obligation as it is an opportunity.
The U.S. Navy’s 60/40 split - 60% of forces in the Pacific Theater, and the multiple National level alliances and relationships established to counter the emergent threats, inspire building a partnership with Thales, a company with a shared vision, strong sense of thoughtful urgency, and the ability to apply comprehensive system to assuring Allied Navy success.”
About Thales in Australia
Thales Australia is a trusted partner of the Australian Defence Force and is also present in commercial sectors ranging from air traffic management and ground transport systems to security systems and services. Thales Australia employs around 3,800 people directly and supports over 2,051 job along its Australian supply chain. In 2020 Thales Australia spent $657 million with 1,841 Australia suppliers, of which 82% are SMEs. Since 2018 Thales Australia has spent over $1.9 billion with local Australian businesses.
Thales Australia has a history of patient investment to build advanced in-country capability across manufacturing, critical systems and services. Close collaborative relationships with local customers, Australian SME suppliers and research institutions combined with technology transfer from our global business enables Thales to tailor high quality solutions for Australian and export markets, generating revenue of $1.6 billion in exports over the past 10 years.