Context
This feature is labelled to distinguish Australian, UK, international, historical and externally reported activity. Those contexts are not interchangeable.
A complex upgrade delivered at reach
UK Docks reports that a new Helicopter Visual Landing Aid System was delivered to HMS Trent through collaboration involving du Pré Marine, Palumbo Shipyard Malta, Glamox and Defence Equipment & Support Naval Supported Ships.
The wider work package included planning, procurement, design approvals, installation, set-to-work, commissioning and trials while the vessel remained forward deployed.
From equipment to integrated capability
Glamox identifies du Pré Marine as the customer that installed the HVLAS aboard HMS Trent in 2025. UK Docks describes accompanying navigation-lighting, night-vision and electrical-system work delivered across the collaborating organisations.
The installation was followed by trials with a Wildcat helicopter in Portsmouth. UK Docks says the system's visual cues were tested to improve pilot safety and precision during night and low-visibility operations, turning the installed equipment into a demonstrated shipboard capability.
At the centre of the system is a stabilised horizon bar that compensates for the vessel's roll and pitch. A three-colour glide-path indicator shows whether an approaching aircraft is on the correct angle, while deck-edge lights and focused LED beam lines give pilots positional references in poor visibility or when using night-vision goggles.
This article concerns the wider du Pré Marine and UK delivery record. It is not presented as a du Pré Marine Australia project or as evidence of a current Australian manufacturer relationship.
A collaborative delivery model
UK Docks characterises the project as a complete delivery effort spanning initiation, procurement, management, execution and handover. Its account credits du Pré Marine, Palumbo Shipyard Malta, Glamox and Defence Equipment & Support Naval Supported Ships with contributing specialist knowledge to the result.
That breadth matters because a flight-deck aid is more than a collection of lights. Equipment selection, ship integration, power and control work, approvals, commissioning and operational trials all have to align before a crew can depend on the system at sea.