A record 67 exhibitors have joined the South Australian contingent at this year’s biennial land defence expo, Land Forces International Defence Exposition.

The event, is being held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 11 to 13 September 2024.

Defence SA Chief Executive Matt Opie said the South Australian contingent is larger than the previous event high of 58 at the 2022 event.

“There has been a sharp uptick in South Australian exhibitors over the past 14 years, with just 12 exhibitors attending the 2010 event,” said Mr Opie.

“This increase demonstrates the growth, demand, and increased investment by international companies in South Australia, the Defence State. As always, our exhibitors will be supported by a team of industry professionals from Defence SA throughout the event.”

Managing Director of Para Bellum Solutions Jake Kearsley CSM said South Australia has long been the Defence State and was one of the reasons for establishing the company here in 2017.

Speaking ahead of Land Forces, Mr Kearsley said that having attended industry events for a few years, Para Bellum increased its profile this year with a dedicated space on the Defence State stand.

“We’re excited to be on the Defence SA stand. This year we’ll have a spot where people know where to find us and talk about how we can help them achieve their goals,” said Mr Kearsley.

Para Bellum is also representing business development clients at the event, including NOVA Power Solutions, which produces specialised power solutions for the military, and Codeac Solutions, which has unique nuclear contamination detection technology in relation to military CBRN operations.

“With AUKUS progressing, compatibility across platforms and reliability of components for critical function such as power and system communications are becoming even more important.

“Land Forces 2024 is an ideal opportunity to have conversations that can potentially lead to improved capability for the Australian Defence Force.”

Cold Logic Manager Defence and Business Dr Michael Riese said that the company was once again proud to be exhibiting on the Defence State stand.

“Since the inception of our dedicated Defence Division in 2017, we have received a lot of support from the team at Defence SA, helping us with introductions, exposure and guidance,” said Dr Riese.

“We have repeatedly participated in the Defence SA stand at various trade shows, including Land Forces and have found that the exposure to the wider industry, combined with the backing and support from the Defence SA team, cannot be beaten and is an investment that is worth its weight in gold.”

Key opportunities South Australian companies are exploring at the event are in guided weapons and explosive ordnance, heavy armoured vehicle maintenance and opportunities arising from the 10^th Brigade being based in Adelaide with key future long-range strike and ground-based air defence capabilities consolidated here.

South Australia is home to more than 400 SMEs and seven of the world’s top 10 defence companies, with more multinationals such as MCT Brattberg, Bechtel and Coras establishing a presence in the state to explore opportunities and take advantage of the burgeoning defence and space sectors.

While South Australia is the nation’s epicentre for naval shipbuilding and nuclear-powered submarines, the state’s defence capabilities extend beyond this to land domain activities, cyber and systems, information warfare, cutting-edge defence research and world-leading space innovation.

Visit the South Australia – The Defence State at Land Forces 2024, stand G071.

View a full list of exhibitors on the South Australia – The Defence state stand.