STS Defence to supply communications masts for Australian Hunter-class frigates

UK-based technology company STS Defence has been awarded a contract from Rohde and Schwarz Australia to provide the twin integrated main communications masts for the first three Hunter-class frigates being built for the Royal Australian Navy.

Under the contract, STS Defence will provide two masts for each of the three frigates, with the first ship-set anticipated to be delivered in 2028. The mast structures will be manufactured and assembled by Mainstay Marine Solutions in Pembroke Dock, Wales, and then shipped to the Osborne Naval Shipyard in South Australia for installation on the frigates.

STS Defence is the design authority for the masts, and the company said the contract follows the successful completion of design studies and Lloyd’s Certification. The design is based on the main communications mast that the company supplied for the UK Royal Navy’s Type 26 frigates.

The masts will support a range of line-of-sight communications antennas and will also incorporate navigation lights. Special composite screens will provide isolation between different frequency bands. Ben Stancliffe, Managing Director of STS Defence, described the mast as a, "mission critical system to one of the most advanced warships in the world.”