Patrick Durrant | Sydney

Providing quality repair, maintenance, design and calibration services to defence and commercial industry since 1967, Sydney-based Bellinger Instruments recently celebrated 50 years of operations.

The Rydalmere company, still owned and directed by founder John Stewart McAlpine, a former scientific instrument maker at RAAF Wagga Wagga, specialises in maintenance of equipment from gyros to ECM systems such as Navy's AN/SLQ32, as well as tactical data links, IFF systems, all manner of radios, and barometers and fire control systems, to name but a few.

“We've completed literally thousands of overhauls and repairs for a vast array of defence equipment,” CEO and former Navy logistician Bob Ferrari told ADM. “Our work has returned faulty equipment to as new condition saving defence money and keeping systems in service longer.”

“Our work has returned faulty equipment to as new condition saving defence money and keeping systems in service longer.”

Some of the achievements of the past 50 years include Navy's Seahawk helicopter night vision upgrades; Link-16 design and installation for the ANZAC-class frigates; design, supply and installation of Wide Area Differential GPS systems on all mine warfare and hydrographic vessels; and, more recently, the design and build of portable Link-22 tactical data link systems providing beyond line-of-sight communications.

“Through our apprentice scheme, we have trained around 140 skilled technicians in our 50 years and still remain a major contributor to Defence, particularly Navy,” Ferrari said. “We've also been very fortunate with many staff having served the company over a long period of time – indeed four have served continuously for over 30 years.”

He added that most of these employees had started as apprentices, with the result being  “a warm and family-like work environment”.

The company is currently sub-contracting to Project Sea 1442 (ANZAC-class Communications Upgrade) and contributing to Link-22 installations.