Martin-Baker Australia has opened a full workshop at the Williamtown Aerospace Centre in advance of the arrival of Australia’s first F-35A JSFs.
Martin-Baker ejection seats are used in the RAAF’s PC-9, PC-21, Hawk LIF, F/A-18A/B, F/A-18F, and EA/18G Growler aircraft.
The NZ Defence Force recently purchased a T-6 Texan II training aircraft that also uses the company’s ejection seats.
“We have an obligation to support the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter from December 2018 at Williamtown,” managing director of Martin-Baker Australia Andrew Eden said. “The Williamtown Aerospace Centre was the obvious choice for us as we needed space to support these and other customer maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade requirements.
“The F-35 and other platforms that use our products will be operating at RAAF Williamtown for the foreseeable future. WAC will house our second workshop in Australia giving us full coverage for our customers on both east and west coasts. The workshops are commissioned with our newest support and test equipment.”
“We are excited to welcome ejection seat company Martin-Baker Australia to the Williamtown Aerospace Centre estate,” director JamesGarvey said. “Discussions with the UK parent company began as far back as 2009 with the introduction by the NSW Government, the then Department of Industry.
“When local subsidiary Martin-Baker Australia was formed in 2015, those discussions led to a detailed look at the company’s requirements in the Williamtown area. We have met their short term office needs with space while their bespoke permanent parachute and ejector seat assembly workshop, warehouse and office premises.”