New defence centre to bring hundreds of jobs to Greater Geelong

Avalon will soon be home to a major defence manufacturing facility, bringing more than 300 new jobs to the Geelong region.

Hanwha Defense Australia will establish its $170 million Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence at the Avalon Airport Industrial Precinct.

Hanwha will use the new Avalon facility to build self-propelled howitzer vehicles to deliver the Commonwealth’s $1 billion LAND 8116 program.

The investment will strengthen the state’s defence capabilities and create hundreds of highly skilled local jobs in design, engineering and manufacturing.

Construction on the 32,000 square metre state-of-the-art facility is expected to start later this year and take two years to complete – creating a further 100 plus jobs during construction.

Victoria’s supply chain will directly benefit from Hanwha setting up in the Geelong region with businesses expected to receive $200 million in flow-on investment, generating more local jobs and export opportunities.

Hanwha Corporation is South Korea’s largest defence company and also operates in other sectors including aerospace, fintech, mining and clean energy. Hanwha Defense Australia was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Melbourne.

In January 2021, the Victorian Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hanwha to formalise a long-term partnership to support the establishment of Hanwha’s defence manufacturing operations in the state.

Hanwha is also one of the final two bidders to deliver the Commonwealth Government’s LAND 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program. If successful, Hanwha will create more than 1,000 jobs in the Geelong region over the next 12 years and an estimated $5.7 billion for Victoria’s economy.

The Victorian defence sector contributes $8.4 billion to the economy each year, supporting around 36,000 jobs across industry and the Australian Defence Organisation.