Chemring Australia has been awarded a US$107.5m (A$167m) contract by the US Navy to provide MJU-68 countermeasure, and MJU-61 training flares for the global F-35 program.

The contract award comes after years of qualification with the US Navy’s Naval Air System office to ensure the flares meet the demanding specifications for the F-35 program.

“This is a significant milestone, not only for Chemring Australia, but for Australia’s defence industry as a whole,” Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price said in a statement. “This will create highly-skilled manufacturing jobs in Victoria, as well as opportunities across Chemring Australia’s supply chain for many Australian small businesses from procurement of raw materials, to qualification testing and transportation.”

Australian industry has so far won $1.7 billion in production contracts for the JSF program, employing some 2,400 people.