Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program Sustainment Grants

JSF-ISP – Sustainment Grants

  • Applications open until:  30 June 2028
  • The grant amount will be up to 50 per cent of eligible project expenditure (grant percentage). For A-PSPs that are developing their DMAP under phases 1 and 2 of the DSOR activation timeline:
  • The minimum grant amount is $50,000 per Repair Technology Group (RTG)
  • The maximum grant amount is $250,000 per RTG.

The Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program (JSF-ISP) offers funding to Australian companies to develop new skills or improve existing ones to become more competitive in winning contracts for producing, sustaining, and modernisation of the Joint Strike Fighter Program throughout its lifecycle.

The Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program Sustainment Grant offers funding opportunities to Australian businesses to support Assigned-Product Support Providers (A-PSPs) in developing and implementing their approved Depot Maintenance Activation Plan (DMAP) to become a Qualified F-35 Component Depot Source of Repair (DSOR).

Key Requirements

The Australian government’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets, Project AIR 6000, came with a program to boost the domestic industry. The JSF-ISP is funded by the Department of Defence and provides grants to Australian companies. This program aims to strengthen these businesses by helping them develop new skills or improve existing ones. By becoming more competitive, these companies will be in a better position to win contracts for production, sustainment, and modernisation of the Joint Strike Fighter Program.

The Joint Strike Fighter Industry Support Program offers grants specifically to A-PSPs. These grants help them create and put into action their DMAP. This plan is essentially a roadmap for A-PSPs to become a certified repair facility (DSOR) for specific F-35 parts. The DMAP ensures a comprehensive and organised approach, addressing all the necessary logistics and support elements for setting up this repair capability.

The main objective of a DMAP is to outline the necessary requirements for an A-PSP to establish a certified F-35 component depot-level maintenance capability. It offers a structured and comprehensive approach to ensure that all integrated product support or logistics support elements are adequately addressed during the activation process.

A-PSPs collaborate with the Department of Defence to develop their DMAP, ensuring alignment with F-35 enterprise requirements. The DMAP requires approval from the United States government before proceeding to implementation phases.

This grant opportunity is exclusive to Australian companies that have been designated by the United States Government as a regional or global DSOR capability for a specific repair technology group.

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources oversees the administration of this grant opportunity on behalf of the Department of Defence.

What is eligible for funding?

To be eligible your project should:

  • Develop DMAP in accordance with the specifications outlined in the Depot Maintenance Development Plan (DMDP), which include:
    • gap analysis
    • certifications
    • travel
    • cyber security
  • Execute the JPO-approved DMAP and identify support elements through projects, which encompass:
    • capital equipment acquisition
    • certifications
    • travel
    • cyber security
    • capability upgrades.

The Program Delegate also has the authority to approve additional activities.

What companies are eligible for funding?

To qualify you must:

  • be an A-PSP developing and/or implementing a DMAP
  • have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
  • be registered for the Goods and Services Tax (GST)

And be one of the following entities:

  • an organisation registered or incorporated in Australia
  • a trustee incorporated representing a trust

You must also provide:

  • a congressional letter issued by the U.S. Department of Defense that assigns you a specific part number or assigns you to a particular repair technology group
  • evidence from your board of directors (or CEO if no board exists) expressing their support for the project. This should also confirm your ability to complete the project and cover any costs not funded by the grant
  • An Accountant Declaration which verifies your company’s ability to contribute its share of the project’s costs

Is this grant competitive or entitlement based?

Competitive. Your application will be assessed among other applications by a judging panel.

How can I increase my chances of winning this grant?

By engaging an accredited government grants consultant, such as Avant Group.

Competitive grants often require significant business case development and project analysis to support the application, this may include detailed presentations supporting the project’s merit, projected sales, cost-benefit analysis and more.

As part of your engagement with Avant Group, your account manager will assess the required documents and will provide the following as needed to support your grant submission.

Grant application writeup including a detailed presentation illustrating how the grant funding will contribute to your project, how the funding will contribute to the project’s budget, a project milestone plan, delivery timeline, impact on employment if applicable and a breakdown of the management and leadership team for the project

  • Industry analysis presentation
  • Competitor Analysis Presentation
  • Marketing and Sales Analysis Presentation
  • 3-5 year Cashflow Forecast
  • 3-5 year Balance Sheet Forecast
  • Cost-Benefit Analysis of Grant Funding
  • End-to-end grant application including information collating, analysis and application writing
  • CAPEX (Capital Expenditure) cost-benefit analysis
  • Stakeholder relations and Risk Mitigation Plans
  • Any other relevant forecasting that will support your application

How can I get help with my application? Or know if I’m likely to win funding?

Avant Group offers a no-obligation assessment of your eligibility for funding and will assess your likelihood of a successful grant application.