QinetiQ Australia and the DST Group have formed a strategic alliance that capitalises on the long-standing and deep partnership between both organisations and makes a commitment to collaborative R&D in areas of strategic importance to Defence.
The agreement was signed in Canberra on 26 February 2016 by QinetiQ Australia managing director Greg Barsby and head of DST Group and Chief Defence Scientist Dr Alex Zelinsky and was witnessed by Wing Commander Ben Main from the Directorate General Technical Airworthiness – ADF (DGTA-ADF).
The partnership between QinetiQ Australia and DST Group spans two decades, which includes several Aircraft Structural Integrity (ASI) programs undertaken with the DGTA-ADF and six years of the company operating DST Group’s integrated engineering services facilities at Fishermans Bend in Port Melbourne.
This month the DGTA-ADF awarded QinetiQ Australia a long-term, follow-on and performance-based contract in ASI services encompassing certification, through-life support, stress and fatigue management, airframe life extension, design of repairs and modifications, software development and Non-Destructive Testing.
An major focus of the strategic alliance will be on ASI capability to strengthen the existing partnership between QinetiQ Australia, DST Group and the DGTA-ADF and ensure the continued safe operation, enhanced capability and reduced cost of ownership of ADF aircraft.
Other R&D areas, which draw upon existing areas of deep technical expertise at a local and global level in QinetiQ, are traditional and exotic materials, signatures, unmanned aviation systems, weapons, training, cost assurance and integrated soldier systems.
“This Strategic Alliance is significant because, firstly, it cements the tripartite partnership between QinetiQ Australia, DST Group and the DGTA-ADF in ASI, and, secondly, it combines the strengths of QinetiQ’s global business with DST Group’s scientific innovation in several collaborative R&D efforts,” Barsby said.
"Leveraging the synergies between our organisations has the potential to bring real capability enhancements to the ADF in areas that require innovation, deep technical expertise and scientific knowledge,” Dr Zelinsky said.
Under the strategic alliance, the two organisations have also pledged to support the ongoing professional development, retention and career progression of each other’s staff through training activities and employee rotations.