Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • WFEL hosts Australian Department of Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group

Defence

WFEL hosts Australian Department of Defence Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group

WFEL welcomed Brigadier Ed Smeaton - Director General Land Manoeuvre Systems of the Australian Department of Defence this week, to their defence manufacturing facilities.

Brigadier Smeaton’s organisation, which is part of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group, is responsible for the acquisition and through-life support of a wide range of land-based capabilities required by the Australian Defence Force (ADF), including bridging.
 
Brigadier Smeaton was delighted to be shown around WFEL’s production facility, which is currently supplying a number of its Dry Support Bridges (DSB) and Medium Girder Bridges (MGB) to the ADF under the Land 155 Phase 1 Enhanced Gap Crossing Capability project.

Advertisement
ODU RT

The Brigadier was also keen to discover more about WFEL’s wider technical capabilities within the defence sector, and to see the latest developments across a full range of rapidly-deployable bridging products.

As a long-standing user of WFEL’s MGB bridges since the 1970’s, the ADF has recently taken delivery of their first new sets of WFEL’s rapidly-deployable bridging systems, and the Brigadier was keen to observe the technical operations behind the manufacture of these bridges. 

After having been shown around the facilities by WFEL’s Managing Director, Ian Anderton, Brigadier Smeaton commented, “My visit today was extremely informative and your team were both passionate and engaging.  It was a particularly good opportunity to understand the design and complexity that goes into the manufacturing of your bridging products.  As a customer and user, it was reassuring to see the level of testing and quality assurance completed at each stage in the process.”

Ian Anderton added, ‘We are extremely proud to have supplied our Australian customer with a world-leading set of bridging systems and we look forward to developing further our ongoing relationship”.

Advertisement
ODU RT

WFEL will be attending the Eurosatory show next week in Paris.


 

Advertisement
Gulfstream banner
Anotec achieves AS9100 certification

Aerospace Defence

Anotec achieves AS9100 certification

20 April 2026

Surface coating specialist Anotec has enhanced its position in the aerospace and defence sectors by achieving the AS9100 certification.

Securitas appoints Alan Rae as Area Director for UK North and BAE Systems

Defence Security

Securitas appoints Alan Rae as Area Director for UK North and BAE Systems

20 April 2026

Securitas UK has announced the appointment of Alan Rae to the newly created and expanded role of Area Director for UK North and BAE Systems.

Vision Engineering appoints Harry Curtis as Technical Director

Aerospace Defence

Vision Engineering appoints Harry Curtis as Technical Director

17 April 2026

Woking headquartered Vision Engineering Group, provider of ergonomic microscopy and metrology solutions, has announced the appointment of Harry Curtis to the position of Technical Director, effective 1st April 2026.

Drone swarms central to AWE26

Defence Events

Drone swarms central to AWE26

17 April 2026

Drones have been at the centre of this year's Army Warfighting Experiment 2026, which each year brings together soldiers, scientists, industry and universities, to test new military technology.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Dstl assesses robotic systems in hazardous incident recovery trial

Defence

Dstl assesses robotic systems in hazardous incident recovery trial

17 April 2026

In a ‘real life’ scenario played out in an empty shopping unit, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) has tested the ability of robotic and autonomous systems to navigate through a building and detect, sample and remediate (clean) a contaminated environment.

QinetiQ pays aerial tribute to iconic Spitfire

Defence Events

QinetiQ pays aerial tribute to iconic Spitfire

17 April 2026

The QinetiQ operated ETPS test pilot school based at MoD Boscombe Down has taken part in the historic Spitfire90 commemorative tour, as the only civilian-registered participants in the nine-day national flight schedule.

Advertisement
ODU RT
Advertisement
Gulfstream banner