The head of BAE Systems Australia has invited Hunter people to join the company as it expands its footprint to maintain Australia's new F-35 fighter jets.
Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy announced at Williamtown on Tuesday that the government would partner with BAE to build a new $100 million workshop to recoat F-35s with specialised radar-evading paint.
The project will create an estimated 100 construction jobs and 25 ongoing jobs at the recoating facility, adding to BAE's existing Williamtown workforce of 360.
The company's chief executive officer, Ben Hudson, said BAE was keen to train or retrain Hunter workers.
"It is a specialist process, but we invite anyone who wants to join the company to join," he said.
"We have a lot of job opportunities around the nation right now but also here locally.
"The company has an extensive apprenticeship program, graduate program as well, to take professionals and semi-professionals into the business and skill them.
"If you're interested in a job, if you work at the local panel-beater, then come and have a chat to us. We'd more than welcome it."
Mr Conroy said BAE would not bring in workers from elsewhere in the company.
"They'll be trained, because we have a great reservoir of skilled workers here," he said.
Workers at BAE must pass security clearances to work on the highly secretive US-led Joint Strike Fighter program.
Mr Conroy was tight-lipped about how the high-tech F-35 coating was made, whether it was imported as a finished product from the US and how often the jets needed recoating.
"There's two aspects that make the F-35 stealthy. It's the angle of panels. It's got a very different shape to a conventional fighter jet," he said.
"And, secondly, it is the stealth coating that absorbs radar waves rather than reflecting them.
"That stealth coating is essential to it being stealthy, practically invisible, and that stealth coating needs to be maintained.
"This is the most advanced fighter jet in the world, and one of the reasons we want to be discreet about that is to keep our technical edge."
The nation's fleet of 72 F-35s are maintained and upgraded at BAE at Williamtown, which is a maintenance hub for other participating countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
The dedicated stealth coating facility will be the only one of its kind in Australia.
Work is due to start on building the recoating hangar in mid-2024.
