CANBERRA - Australia will begin producing long-range missiles from 2027 under a partnership with Norwegian defense company Kongsberg.

Pat Conroy, minister for defense industry and capability delivery, on Thursday announced the government will contribute up to 850 million Australian dollars ($572.2 million) in partnership with Kongsberg Defense Australia to manufacture and service missiles locally.

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Under the partnership, a missile factory at the airport precinct in the city of Newcastle -- over 100 km north of Sydney -- will open in 2026 and in 2027 begin manufacturing and servicing Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) and Joint Strike Missiles to be used by the Australian Defense Force (ADF).

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The NSM will replace the Harpoon anti-ship missiles on the ADF's Hobart class destroyers and Anzac class frigates.