The Australian Missile Corporation has announced plans for a satellite office in Canberra, supporting its push to lead the Australian-made precision guided weapons industry.

In a major step, the AMC is set to fit out a 400 square metre floor plate in Brindabella Business Park in the national capital.

The AMC’s parent company NIOA has had a strong presence in Canberra since 2017. The expansion to accommodate the new business extends their total footprint to more than 550 square metres.

Robert Nioa, CEO of NIOA and the AMC, said the Canberra office would provide the space needed to unlock collaborations to advance the Sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.

“The AMC has spent months building its capability,’’ Mr Nioa said. “We see this investment in a Canberra office as another key plank in providing the framework to help the Australian Government establish a domestic precision weapons industry.

“This office will be a collaboration space for AMC’s partner companies and research organisations to come together in supporting the broader government push to strengthen Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities.’’

The AMC has linked up with more than 300 world-leading defence and aerospace partners and recently issued a nationwide call for expressions of interest for a range of key roles from guided weapons engineers to project managers.

Its advisory board, chaired by former defence minister Christopher Pyne, comprises some of the sharpest minds in the industry including RAN Rear Admiral (ret’d) Lee Goddard, CSC; US Army Brigadier General (ret’d) Alfred L Abramson and Dr Ken Anderson, former Chief of the Aerospace Division in the Defence Science and Technology Group.

The $2m Brindabella Park build, to be led by Canberra-based AMA Projects, is expected to be completed by early next year.

AMA Projects’ Claire Dening said: “AMA Projects are delighted to be awarded the AMC Canberra fitout project. The bespoke design will be exciting to deliver and will marry well with our capabilities and strengths in the high security and fitout space.’’

The AMC was founded by NIOA - the largest Australian-owned supplier of weapons and munitions to the Australian Defence Force.

It was launched in March to facilitate collaboration between industry, academia, state governments and Defence following the Federal Government’s announcement to invest $1 billion to accelerate a domestic missile manufacturing industry.