Babcock Australasia (Babcock) will continue its partnership with Australian Border Force (ABF) as part of a new $250 million contract to protect the nation’s border in the Torres Strait.
“Safeguarding our borders is critical to ensuring national security," Babcock Australasia CEO, Andrew Cridland, said. “These state-of-the-art aircraft integrates best-in-class technology bringing the world’s highest surveillance capabilities to our borders."
The 8-year contract with the Commonwealth Government will deliver two new mission modified helicopters to Australia’s Border Force, plus air crews and ongoing aircraft maintenance. This contract continues the 30-year partnership, started in 1995, between Babcock and the ABF.
“Babcock has been an integral and trusted provider to the Australian Border Force for three decades, ultimately keeping our nation safe and secure," Cridland stated.
“We are very proud of our long-standing relationship with the Torres Strait community and through this new contract we will be able to extend our support even further through local engagement, upskilling and infrastructure development.”
Babcock’s service will provide all-weather airborne services enabling critical deterrence, prevention and response operations from Horn Island, in the Torres Strait. The service will also provide multi-agency capability for a range of maritime security threats including illegal fishing, illegal immigration and marine pollution.
As part of the new contract, Babcock will deliver two Airbus H145 D3 helicopters fitted with updated technology sensors, mission management systems and long-range tanks to provide a significant upgrade to surveillance capability and protection in the region.
The aircraft are expected to be in service from September 2026.
Babcock has operated a fleet of 18 helicopters from seven bases across Australia. The company has experience in commercial Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), Search and Rescue, and law enforcement spanning almost 30 years.
Current contracts include ABF, Ambulance Victoria, Queensland Health, CapRescue, and SA Police and SA Ambulance Service.
Babcock continues to make major investments in aircraft, infrastructure, and training. This has included the introduction of multiple additional helicopters into fleet over the past 12 months and plans for a new multi-user hangar on Horn Island in support of current and future Torres Strait contracts.