MARTIN-BAKER AUSTRALIA Sets up workshop at Williamtown Aerospace Centre

Martin-Baker Australia is the newest arm of the world’s leading ejection seat manufacturer. Established in 2015 to provide direct customer sales and support and to build a world class Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) capability in the region. The company is undergoing rapid expansion in 2018 with the commissioning of the first workshop at RAAF Base Pearce in support of the PC-21 Pilot Training System and now the addition of a full workshop at the Williamtown Aerospace Centre. The Head Office remains in Brisbane. Martin-Baker seats are used in the following Royal Australian Air Force Aircraft:

• PC-9
• PC-21
• Hawk LIF
• F/A-18A/B and F/A-18F
• EA/18G
• F-35 (joint Strike Fighter)

The New Zealand Defence Force recently purchased T-6 Texan II that also uses Martin-Baker ejection seats. Martin-Baker’s crashworthy seats are currently used in RAAF EC-135 HATS and P-8A aircraft. Many civilian EMS operators use the Rotating and Traversing or MFOS seats in AW139 helicopters.

The Managing Director of Martin-Baker Australia, Andrew Eden commented, “We have an obligation to support the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter from December 2018 at Williamtown. The WAC 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. Williamtown Aerospace Centre 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 that allow support of all our platforms in the region.”

Director, James Garvey commented, “We are excited to welcome ejection seat company, Martin-Baker Australia to the Williamtown Aerospace Centre estate. 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”.

The Williamtown Aerospace Centre is continuing to prove itself as the premier Australian destination for Aerospace and Defence Technology companies seeking to expand into Australia and as a gateway to the Asian markets.