Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Barrett Communications delivers HF radios

Barrett Communications – in collaboration with Royal Communications Inc. – has delivered High Frequency (HF) high power radio communications systems to assist in comprehensive communications coverage across the US. An undisclosed United States Federal Agency has recently installed high power HF radio systems into all states and territories of the USA. The equipment provided by Barrett further enhances the existing system, expanding it to cover all locations. The systems will be used to provide Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) secure digital voice and data connectivity. Barrett Communications US general manager John Eschenfelder said: “This is an historic delivery for Barrett USA cementing its position as a trusted partner to the US Federal Government.” The systems include Barrett 4075 HF high power systems which are available in 500W and 1kW configurations and increase the strength of transmissions. P

New mast installed on HMAS Stewart

ANZAC class frigate HMAS Stuart has had its new mast lifted into place as part of the Anzac class frigate’s mid-life capability upgrade (AMCAP) program. The replacement mast is taller and wider than the old mast so that it can accommodate the new CEA L-Band radar system manufactured by Canberra’s CEA Technologies. The CEAFAR radar is an active phased array radar that combines microwave tile and Digital Beam Forming (DBF) technologies. Weighing 31 tonnes, the mast was lifted by a team at BAE Systems Australia’s Henderson shipyard south of Perth, which is conducting the ANZAC upgrade. The replacement mast is taller and wider than the old mast, giving a distinctive look to the upgraded vessels. BAE Systems has around four hundred people supporting AMCAP, and around 250 Australian suppliers are currently supporting the program.

XTEK delivers third tranche of body armour

Defence and security protection manufacturer XTEK’s HighCom Armor Solutions business has delivered a further US$6.6 million tranche of a US$33.21 million order for body armour to a customer that has not been named. The entire US$33.21 million contract value was prepaid in full before the first shipment of goods occurred, half of the total order value now received. CEO Scott Basham, XTEK said: “Our HighCom Armor team in Columbus, Ohio continue to work at a very high tempo to produce, pack, and dispatch the many large orders we have in backlog from FY22.”

Vaxxas shows further promise against Covid

University of Queensland announced on Friday that vaccine delivery company Vaxxas’s high-density microarray patch (HD-MAP) was found “far more effective at neutralising COVID-19 variants” when used to deliver the Hexapro vaccine to mice. Dr Christopher McMillan from the UQ said the patch appeared to counteract new variants more effectively than an existing vaccine delivered via injection. The HD-MAP delivers vaccines to areas of the skin with a high population of immune cells. MacMillan said that the patches were “approximately 11 times more effective at combatting the Omicron variant compared with the same vaccine administered via a needle. He added that “The large number of mutations have given the virus the ability to evade the immune responses generated by the current vaccines… However, the patch technology has the potential to offer a new – and more effective – weapon in our arsenal, at a time where new variants are mutating at a rapid rate.”

Picture: BAE Systems Australia

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