Boeing has awarded Ferra Engineering of Australia a contract to produce wing kits for its High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC), marking a new milestone in their expanding defence industry partnership.
The deal will see the Queensland manufacturer establish local production capacity for HAAWC wing kits, directly supporting Australia’s objective of strengthening sovereign defence manufacturing.
HAAWC equips the P-8A Poseidon with the ability to deploy Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes from high altitude and long stand-off distances in all weather conditions, redefining traditional anti-submarine warfare concepts.
At the heart of the system is a precision guidance wing kit that enables the weapon to autonomously glide to a programmed target zone using GPS-supported navigation, with a fully inertial backup mode for operations in contested or GPS-denied environments.
The system allows torpedo release from altitudes of up to 30,000 feet, replacing legacy low-level release profiles of around 100 feet and greatly reducing the risk to aircraft.
By removing the need for low-altitude operations, HAAWC improves platform survivability, cuts fuel consumption, and shortens mission timelines.
The contract adds to Ferra’s expanding footprint across Boeing defence programmes. The company already delivers high-precision components for the MQ-28 Ghost Bat and exports parts to the United States for platforms including the F/A-18F Super Hornet, AH-64E Apache, and P-8A Poseidon.
The partnership was further consolidated in 2023 through a memorandum of understanding for wing kit production under Boeing’s JDAM-ER and JDAM-LR weapon programmes.
