REDARC to supply LED lights for Hunter frigates

REDARC Defence & Space will supply 12,600 LED lights for the first three Hunter class frigates now under construction at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia.

The Lonsdale, Adelaide company was awarded the $23 million, five year contract following five years of collaboration with UK company MARL International which will see it lead the manufacture and delivery of lighting and related parts.

It will supply 79 different types of lights for each frigate, including bunk and flood lights, weatherdeck and step lights, general and emergency lights.

REDARC owner Anthony Kittel said the company was delighted and thrilled to supply its products, which are known for their rugged construction and ability to withstand adverse conditions, to the ‘formidable’ anti-submarine vessels.

Kittel said: “Being able to deliver exceptionally high quality maritime LED lights – manufactured, sustained and supported in Australia – is a great step for us.

“This contract will allow REDARC Defence & Space to further grow our defence workforce and upskill our current staff as well as our Australian supply chain.”

REDARC, which has been mainly focused on electrical systems for off road vehicles, only recently turned to the defence sector with Kittel aiming for a modest goal of 10 percent of turnover from the sector.

The company joins 50 other Australian companies who have received contracts from BAE Systems Australia to support Hunter’s prototyping phase.

Now it has won one of the first substantial contracts for the much larger production phase of the Hunter build.

BAE Systems Australia Maritime Managing Director Craig Lockhart said: “I welcome the partnership between REDARC Defence & Space and MARL International, which will lead to Australians manufacturing thousands of lights and related parts for the first batch of three Hunter class frigates.

“We will continue to collaborate closely with the Commonwealth and support the growth of Australian industry capability (AIC) and to that end, we expect that in future ship batches the percentage of Australian content will increase.”

MARL International Managing Director Adrian Rawlinson, said: “Between us we will supply a superb lighting solution for the Hunter class frigates, delivering state-of-the-art operational performance, reduced through-life costs and environmental benefits.

“We are hoping we can now work together to support other maritime and defence lighting programmes within Australasia.”

Picture: Anthony Kittel