Naval Group, Australia's Airspeed Sign MoU To Develop Composite Masts for Lockheed Attack Submarines

Naval Group and Airspeed, a composites manufacturing company based in South Australia, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to respond to the design competition launched by Lockheed Martin Australia for the masts of the Attack-class submarines.

Naval Group has developed a new light carbon composite mast that offers resistance and operational efficiency, the company said in a statement Wednesday.

Recently, Steve Barlow, Airspeed’s Managing Director was in France to visit Naval Group’s facilities at Angoulême-Ruelle and Lorient.

Representatives from Airspeed also took part in a test for Automated Manufacture of Advanced Composites (AMAC) hosted by the Australian Research Council (ARC) Training Centre at the University of New South Wales in November and will be closely involved in the research Naval Group is leading with Australian universities on composites and additive manufacturing.

François Romanet, Naval Group Pacific CEO says, “Naval Group has developed a solution that will meet all operational requirements of the Royal Australian Navy. Airspeed has impressive capabilities when it comes to composites manufacturing. If successful in the competition, we have decided to start working together as soon as the design phase to ensure theses masts will be produced and maintained in South Australia."