Photo caption: Left to right: Greg Thomas and Max Kufner
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 Centers, 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 optimization, 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 optimization, 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.