Australian company reveals stealthy mission-ready Special Ops 4WD

09/13/2024 06:00 PM

South Australian-based manufacturer Redarc has shown off a 'mission-ready' version of the Ineos Grenadier off-road wagon, designed to operate in Australia's harshest climates – without revealing its location – at the 2024 Land Forces Expo in Melbourne.

Using the four-door wagon Trailmaster Edition launched in 2023 by Ineos – with a BMW-sourced 3.0L four-cylinder petrol engine and eight-speed transmission underneath – Redarc has installed intelligence hardware to the already capable off-road Grenadier.

Key to the vehicle's capabilities are its three communications systems – HF (high frequency), UHF (ultra-high frequency) and satellite-based 'communications on the move' – including a 'stealth' capability.

“We've got what's called an RF cloak [radio frequency cloak] so the Grenadier can look like a water tanker or a tractor to blend into the environment in which it's based,” Redarc CEO and Managing Director, Anthony Kittle told Drive.

“We’ve got 'ruggedised computing' – passive radar effectively – so we can have communications on the move, and in that the ability to go out and gather information, monitor incoming equipment such as drones or other objects, and give that data in a fully covert manner.”

The Redarc CEO also told the Ineos was chosen for its ability and – while the Australian arm of the car maker has given the project its support – was not a marketing collaboration.

“This is a Redarc-generated program,” Kittle said.

“Ineos didn't know what we were doing until we delivered the finished product. We think its unique and there's an opportunity for this vehicle in special forces.”

“Ultimately what we’re showing is the capability of an Ineos Grenadier for special [operations] – the aim was to say here’s a fully developed, turn-key system.

“It's taking our commercial off-the-shelf power systems and modifying it for defence applications, but of course our new power systems are available for any four-wheel-driver or overlander in a play or a work situation.”

Redarc is based in Lonsdale, South Australia and has doubled in size since 2020 with almost 400 employees and global exports to almost 50 countries, with operations in South-East Asia, Europe and the United States.

The 2024 Land Forces Expo in Melbourne concluded last week, with multiple road closures in the city's central business district after protests disrupted traffic around the Exhibition Centre on Wednesday.

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