Thales and Orbis link up to support Australian Navy’s fleet

Thales Australia and Orbis Sibro have entered into an agreement to collaborate on the advancement of maritime sustainment operations in support of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) at Fleet Base East, Garden Island, Sydney.

Under this agreement, Thales Australia and ORBIS Inc will focus on a range of initiatives including technological innovation and shipyard infrastructure optimisation, as well as further developing the naval sustainment industrial base and workforce.

To accelerate capability advancement at Fleet Base East, the companies have recently completed preliminary feasibility studies and extensive reviews of Australia’s existing naval sustainment and support operations, workforce development and optimisation, as well as upskilling and mentoring programs.

“This partnership will help deliver greater integration of platform and infrastructure through digitisation and automation of the maritime sustainment environment, which is necessary to increase the readiness, availability and performance of RAN fleets and assets,” Max Kufner, Vice President, Above Water Systems, Thales Australian & New Zealand said.

“Orbis’s origin and roots are in the United States’ Navy’s submarine program. As the requirements for integration and interoperability grew, Orbis leveraged and applied the knowledge, experience, and expertise developed through its submarine experience to broader Navy-wide challenges, including global supply chain, shore infrastructure, and other sustainment eco-system challenges. Partnering with Thales to lead critical elements of the Commonwealth of Australia’s Plan Galileo is as much an obligation as it is an opportunity,” Greg Thomas, Vice President, Submarine Initiatives, Orbis Inc, said.

The two companies will help strengthen the naval support and maintenance ecosystem in the region, whilst assuring fleet readiness, availability and interoperability of Australian and allied partner current and future maritime capabilities.