BAE Systems Australia will establish its head office at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide, as the major defence prime continues to grow its defence presence as it continues work on the Hunter Class Frigate and AUKUS submarine programs.

BAE Systems has signed on as a cornerstone tenant in Lot Fourteen’s Innovation Centre and will be a significant industry contributor to South Australia’s connected Innovation Places network aimed to accelerate the state’s innovation capability.

BAE Systems will create a generation of work for South Australians and tens of billions of dollars for SA's economy as it progresses the build of the Hunter Class Frigates and future sovereign nuclear-powered submarines.

Bringing its headquarters, and approximately 500 employees, to Lot Fourteen will position BAE Systems at the centre of South Australia’s defence and critical technologies innovation, with greater connectivity to their operations and partnerships at Osborne Naval Shipyard and Edinburgh Defence Precinct, Tonsley Innovation District and Findon Technical College.

Also announced today are the plans for the new Innovation Centre at Lot Fourteen, the first development as part of a pipeline of confirmed construction for the district, under its updated master plan and development strategy.

With pre-committed tenancy of 77 per cent, the Innovation Centre will set a global pace for the growth of defence, space, critical technologies and cyber industries.

BAE Systems joins three state and Australian government projects tenanting the Innovation Centre, totalling $100 million, injecting world-class talent, capabilities and facilities into South Australia.

These include the $60 million Australian Defence Technologies Academy, $20 million Innovation Hub and $20 million Space Assembly Integration and Testing facility.

The BAE Systems commitment and the release of the Lot Fourteen updated master plan and delivery strategy are key actions arising from the SA Innovation Places Leadership Framework, a new 10-year roadmap to connect and elevate the $9.5 billion investment from consecutive state and federal governments across South Australia’s 22 innovation places and a nation-leading first.

Positioning South Australia as an innovation state, innovation places are expected to unlock state-wide employment for over 42,000 people while supporting essential economic growth, investment attraction and regional connectivity along with linking state-wide education, skills and workforce programs.

Quotes

Attributable to Peter Malinauskas

Between Hunter Class frigates and AUKUS submarines, South Australia is a major defence player on the global stage.

But programs also present a significant opportunity for our state.

We must seize this opportunity to lift our state’s research and innovation capabilities, which has a direct impact on our standard of living.

BAE basing its headquarters at Lot Fourteen, alongside universities, the Defence Technologies Academy, Innovation Hub, space industry and other innovative businesses makes perfect sense.

Our innovation places are key to achieving our ambitions.

It is about taking the lead to establish and nurture the right environments that foster collaboration and drive economic complexity, creating new, highly skilled jobs.

Attributable to Stephen Mullighan

BAE Systems choosing Lot Fourteen as its headquarters presents an extraordinary opportunity for South Australia to grow its reputation as the Defence State.

Establishing a city presence, will only further highlight BAE’s commitment to South Australia, which includes a $270 million deal to significantly boost missile component production in Adelaide’s north, announced earlier this month.

Attributable to Craig Lockhart, Chief Executive, BAE Systems Australia

Today marks an exciting new chapter in our company as we announce plans to establish our head office at Lot Fourteen in Adelaide.

This will complement our existing South Australian footprint where we are delivering our major programs and gives us the flexibility to be co-located with our customers, academia and industry.

Over the next 12 months we expect to recruit 800 new employees across our operations, and Lot Fourteen is a key enabler to achieving our growth ambitions.

As we continue to grow in South Australia and find ways to enhance employee attraction and retention, it’s important we offer a workspace that inspires our teams, fosters creativity and creates spaces for our employees to thrive.

Our decision to become an anchor tenant in Lot Fourteen’s new Innovation Centre reflects our enduring commitment to a strong partnership with the Government of South Australia and continuing journey for economic development and sustainability.