Defence
ISSUE_05 / Australia’s defence edge: meet the company powering next gen military air capability
16 June 2026
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When Lillyan Brown chose to pursue a trade career, bricks and mortar were not on her radar.
As it happens though, fixing radars and avionics of some of the world’s most sophisticated military aircraft, right here in South Australia, is where the 21-year-old feels at home.
“I always knew I wanted to go into a trade, but I also knew I didn’t want to follow the typical paths like carpentry or bricklaying,” she says.
After spending 18 months repairing navy vessels in Western Australia, the Perth native jumped at the chance to travel halfway across Australia to join Boeing Defence Australia (BDA).
Today, Brown is among dozens of trainees and apprentices who are building specialised careers in aircraft maintenance and engineering at the RAAF Base Edinburgh, Edinburgh Defence Precinct.
“Luckily, I got the opportunity to work as a trade assistant on Navy boats in Perth; it gave me valuable experience and a range of certifications, and that’s when I realised how much I enjoyed the work,” Brown says.
“When the chance to move into aircraft work came up, it’s where I wanted to be; working on planes is like a fine art, there’s a lot more complexity and diversity in the systems you’re working with, and I find it far more engaging.”
Changing the game for Australian Air Force sovereignty
Brown’s decision to pursue a career repairing and maintaining aeroplanes will now come with an added bonus: becoming part of the inaugural workforce at Australia’s newest military Deep Maintenance and Modification Facility (DMMF) next to the RAAF Base Edinburgh.
Delivered in partnership by the South Australian and Federal governments, the $200 million facility has been purpose-built to undertake maintenance and upgrades for Boeing 737 variant military planes, including the RAAF’s advanced P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft and E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control fleets.
Opened in June, the DMMF will also support New Zealand Defence Force P‑8A aircraft and complement maintenance, repair and overhaul activity planned for the United States Navy’s MQ‑4C Triton aircraft at RAAF Base Edinburgh, further cementing South Australia’s role as a strategic defence partner in the Indo-Pacific.
Measuring 240m long, 60m wide and 25m high, the DMMF will accommodate up to four aircraft at any time, sustaining up to 180 employees when fully operational, in addition to around 450 people employed during its construction.
The Boeing 737 variants will arrive at the adjoining RAAF Base Edinburgh, taxi to a nearby defueling station, and be towed to the DMMF to undergo a significant schedule of modification programs from late 2026.
But as BDA Director of Sustainment Operations Naomi Smith emphasises, the DMMF’s impact goes well beyond the size and scale of the building itself.
“This is a unique facility, purpose-built for the 737 derivatives,” says Smith, who oversees maintenance for more than 90 Boeing aircraft for Australia’s Department of Defence.
“It is providing us with economies of scale, bringing our workforces together, creating efficiencies and importantly gives us greater capability within Australia, closer to the customer, and will allow us to pivot if there is something of a higher priority.”
“If we did not have this facility locally, then we are subject to this capability going offshore … bringing this work into Australia means we give ourselves far greater ability to look after ourselves.”
“We have a significant upgrade approaching for the P-8A Poseidon, which would have been done in the US had we not been able to demonstrate the sovereign capability we have in Australia.”
Building SA’s capability
Defence SA played a lead role in advocating for the DMMF’s importance, positioning South Australia as the preferred location for the facility.
Defence SA’s Chief Executive Matt Opie said the DMMF is a significant investment in critical Defence infrastructure by the South Australian Government, second only to the pivotal Techport Australia, now the Osborne Naval Shipyard, in the 2000s.
“Techport Australia shaped South Australia’s standing as the nation’s naval shipbuilding capital, and now this DMMF is establishing the state’s leadership in maintenance, repair and overhaul for the Australian Defence Force and our allies,” he said.
The DMMF also aligns with strategic objectives to grow advanced industrial skills, local supply chains, long‑term sustainment capacity, and support long-term, secure defence industry jobs.
Through partnerships with the State Government’s new Heights Technical College and Flight One School of Engineering, BDA is expanding qualification pathways for students seeking a career in aircraft engineering, mechanics and avionics.
“We’ve already recruited 53 trainees and apprentices well before the facility is up and running,” Smith says.
“The facility is demonstrating that people can have a long-term career here, and what we’ve found is that it is really important to train locally and to hire locally, because people want to stay where they have grown up.
“It’s also really important for us at Boeing to connect everyone with their why, and we’re really committed to being able to provide long-term futures for our people.”
Boeing presently spends $75 million annually in South Australia across more than 40 suppliers, and the DMMF will only enhance that support, Smith says.
Among significant work to be undertaken at the DMMF will be the installation of new antennas, sensors and software on the P-8A Poseidon, allowing aircrews to better search, detect and target the world’s most advanced submarines.
For Brown, who is completing a Certificate IV in Aeroskills (Avionics) and will become a qualified Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (Avionics) when she graduates in 2028, it’s the complexity and diversity of work that excites her.
“There’s a lot of opportunity, as a trainee, I still feel like a sponge where I’m able to absorb so much new information, and that’s really exciting to me,” she says.
“Boeing is providing opportunities I would not be able to get elsewhere and increases your capability as a technician, which is why I aim to stay with Boeing, absorb as much as I can and learn as many different skills as possible.”
South Australia’s defence ecosystem is attracting growing industry investment
Local and international defence companies are expanding their local footprints to strengthen future capabilities. Notable projects over the past 18 months include:
Babcock $38 million Woodville North manufacturing facility
BAE Systems $25 million Edinburgh Parks Defence Precinct facilities upgrade
SAAB $90 million Mawson Lakes Sovereign Combat Systems Collaboration Centre
Kongsberg $25 million Mawson Lakes manufacturing facility
REDARC $50 million Londsdale Defence and Space Hub
