Works have begun on building an enormous four-bay hangar in north Adelaide for the maintenance of specially customised military aircraft.
BESIX Watpac has been appointed as design and construction partner of the $200 million 2.1-hectare facility. The contract includes the hangar, offices, workshops, stores, amenities areas, plant rooms, and the tow-way access pavement. Set on a 16.2 hectare site, it is one of the largest construction projects ever undertaken by Renewal SA.
Construction of the 240 metre-long, 60 metre-wide, 25 metre-high, four-bay hangar will provide around 450 construction jobs during the two-year build. The works will be carried out on land acquired and owned by Renewal SA (main building and ancillary works), connected to land owned by the Defence Department.
Once completed, the Defence facility will enable the long-term deep maintenance and modification of the Australian military’s fleet of Boeing 737-variants, RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft and RAAF E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft.
Construction is forecast to be completed in mid-2026.
About the author
Desi Corbett
Desi is the Editor of Concrete in Australia and at the helm of our magazine for 8 years. She was behind the Institute's weekly news bulletins from 2016-2021 and is now writing our focused news items. Desi has been an engineering news and features journalist/editor across all disciplines since 2013 - part of a 30-year career writing for a wide range of industries.