The NIOA Group has announced the appointment of leading international defence industry executive Andrew Crickenberger.

Mr Crickenberger, formerly Vice President of Strategy for L3Harris Technologies’ Aerojet Rocketdyne Segment, joins NIOA as Chief Growth Officer.

With a career spanning more than three decades as a senior executive with multi-national defence companies, Mr Crickenberger brings a wealth of experience and strategic vision to this new position.

As Chief Growth Officer, United States-based Mr Crickenberger will spearhead the NIOA Group’s efforts to capitalise on emerging opportunities in the global allied guided weapons and munitions sector.

His appointment follows NIOA’s strategic agreement with L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne, announced last November, to explore the co-production of critical guided weapons components under the Australian Government’s $4.1 billion Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise.

NIOA has also recently taken up residency at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey - the US Army’s Joint Centre of Excellence for ammunition and weapons.

NIOA Group CEO Rob Nioa said Mr Crickenberger’s appointment marked an exciting new chapter for NIOA.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andrew to our executive team at a pivotal time in the next phase of our evolution as a global munitions company,” he said.

“Andrew brings vast experience in strategy development and execution which aligns perfectly with our company’s vision and global growth objectives.

“With Andrew’s leadership and deep understanding of missile systems we are confident in our ambition to accelerate a broad range of critical munitions priorities for Australia and allied partners while also strengthening our domestic defence industrial base.”

Mr Crickenberger is respected internationally in defence and aerospace circles having created strategic business partnerships in multiple countries.

Most recently, he was a founding member of the L3Harris team that led the US$4.7b acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne.

Before joining L3Harris, Mr Crickenberger had a distinguished 25-year career at Northrop Grumman where his last role was VP Strategy and Business Development for the Missile Products business unit.

He holds a MS in Engineering Mechanics and a BS in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech as well as multiple executive leadership certificates.

“Having worked in partnership with Rob and the NIOA team for nearly 15 years, it has been great to see the growth trajectory for the company,” Mr Crickenberger said.

“I am excited to join the team and lead the efforts to accelerate that growth in Australia, the US and into new markets such as the UK and Canada.”

Mr Crickenberger’s appointment follows the appointment earlier this year of Dan Olson, the former VP of Northrop Grumman’s Weapon Systems Division, to the NIOA Group Advisory Board.

About the NIOA Group…

• The NIOA Group includes NIOA Inc [USA], NIOA Australia, NIOA New Zealand, the Australian Missile Corporation, Barrett Firearms [USA)] and joint venture company Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions.
• Established in 1973, NIOA is a global firearms, weapons and munitions company with operations in the USA, Australia and New Zealand with a distribution network covering 75 US State department approved countries.

• NIOA is a major tenant at the Australian government owned, contractor operated (GOCO) munitions facility at Benalla in Victoria where it is currently manufacturing 120mm munitions for the Abrams tank along with 30mm and 35mm cannon ammunition.
• The company is a joint venture partner with Rheinmetall of Germany in the Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions 155mm artillery forging facility in Maryborough, Queensland, delivering key munitions for US allied nations.
• NIOA has a strategic agreement with Aerojet Rocketdyne, a L3Harris Technologies company, to explore the manufacturing of key munitions and components within Australia’s sovereign guided weapons enterprise.

NIOA Group CEO Rob Nioa congratulates US-based executive Andrew Crickenberger who has joined the company in the newly created role of Chief Growth Officer.