The thrill of firing the high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) is heightened when the missiles are manufactured locally.

That was the feeling when the first guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) missiles to be manufactured in South Australia were successfully test-fired at Woomera Test Range on April 8.

It marked a milestone for Australia’s sovereign defence industry and the delivery of an accelerated and expanded land domain long-range strike capability for the Army.

The GMLRS is a precision strike surface-to-surface missile capable of striking targets beyond conventional artillery range. The test-fired GMLRS were manufactured by Lockheed Martin Australia to United States standards.

Operated by soldiers from 14th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, the GMLRS were launched from the 10th Fires Brigade’s HIMARS – based at Edinburgh, South Australia.

For Director General Guided Weapons Production Capability Brigadier Jim Hunter, the live-fire marked a milestone for domestic manufacturing capability.

“GMLRS were selected as the first long-range weapon for manufacture in Australia because they presented a low-risk, high-value starting point for the growth of Australian guided weapons and explosive ordnance [GWEO] industrial capability,” Brigadier Hunter said.

“Having successfully tested these first 12 GMLRS missiles, we will continue production at our Port Wakefield facility. Beyond that we intend to further our GWEO manufacturing capabilities for future, more advanced weapons systems.”

Vice president Tactical Missiles, Lockheed Martin, Gaylia Campbell, said it took a relatively short time to reach the milestone.

“Through this partnership we have with the US Government, the Australian Government, Defence and our industry partners, we were able to establish a manufacturing facility and go all the way through building and delivering these missiles to firing them today in just two years,” Ms Campbell said.

“What that demonstrated is our ability jointly to provide an indigenous capability quickly to Australia, while also building additional capacity for the global demand.

“It’s also a great example of workforce development and technology transfer, as the Australian employees that help put together the missiles were trained at our United States production facilities.”