A new $33 million Defence Department contract is being hailed as a huge boost for a North Albury company.
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Australian Target Systems, commonly known as ATS, has been awarded the deal which will see it provide live firing technology and equipment for use on army deployments and ranges across the country for the next five years.
The agreement to supply integrated land target systems (ILTS) has also resulted in 11 extra jobs, taking the firm's workforce to 54.
ATS chief operating officer Will Ellwood said it was very pleasing for the business whose origins date back to 1954 when Rat of Tobruk Ken Gillam patented a prototype recoiling target apparatus.
"For us as a company it draws on the long-lasting legacy that we use as our guiding principle, which is a deep connection with the end of user, focused on enhancing training outcomes and it also aligns directly with our core principles of innovation and ability to be able to provide the most optimal outcomes, whether it be technology training or anything in between," Mr Ellwood said.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy, in announcing the arrangement, praised the previous military work of ATS, with it already having maintenance and installation contracts for live firing systems.
"Australian Target Systems has been an important defence industry partner for many years with a strong history in the delivery and support of target systems to the Australian Defence Force," Mr Conroy said.
"This contract underscores the Albanese Government's commitment to supporting Australia's defence industry, and in particular working with smaller companies, to help them grow while also creating jobs for locals."
ATS designs and sources equipment, such as electromechanical target systems and training support equipment including target boards and walls for exercises, from various suppliers.
It also has its own 10-member software team which develops sophisticated target management systems and realistic scenarios for training.
"ILTS in a nutshell summarises the core business that ATS already is but allows for a tangible growth mechanism to support the wider army going forward," Mr Ellwood said.
In addition to its North Albury headquarters it has staff based on Army sites in Canberra, Brisbane, Townsville and Darwin.
Mr Ellwood noted ATS had a great understanding of the ADF with its owner Paul Burns a former soldier and nine veterans now employed, with two of those directly related to the new contract which began this month.
"Our selection as the managing contractor for the ILTS program reflects ATS's deep institutional knowledge of the Australian army's live fire training system; coupled with its more recent experiences in delivering some of the world's largest and most technologically advanced live fire range projects," Mr Ellwood said.
ATS is providing target systems to 10 to 15 countries, including some in the Middle East and Singapore, as well as assisting police forces across Australia.
Having evolved from the late Mr Gillam's work into Australasian Training Aids, a joint enterprise with Lindsay Knight, which saw a plant set up in Fallon Street, North Albury, the company then went through various ownership changes.
It emerged as ATS in 2002 with Mr Burns buying the firm in 2012 before a shift into new premises in Hope Court in 2014.
