Chess Dynamics’ Omega enters operations with Mellori

Image courtesy Cohort 

Developed by Australian defence specialist Mellori, the system enables crews to train, test and build confidence in their sensors under real-world maritime conditions. It reflects the strength of international collaboration and the growing demand for adaptable, sovereign EW capability.

Omega forms a critical part of the system, providing precise, stabilised high-torque movement for long-range RF payloads. With a payload capacity of up to 500kg, it delivers the mechanical stability and positioning accuracy required for use at sea, maintaining performance under wind loading, vibration, and platform motion such as roll and pitch. Designed for complex sensor stacks, Omega is part of Chess Dynamics’ modular positioner family, which can support a wide range of missions and applications across land, maritime and multi-domain environments.

Andy Smith, Managing Director at Chess Dynamics, said: "Omega was developed to meet our customers’ need to precisely position payloads of increasingly heavier weights. Its rapid integration into Blue Jay Horizon demonstrates the trusted partnership established with Mellori — a collaboration that enables complex, capability-enhancing systems to be delivered efficiently and effectively to end-users."

Phil Guy, Managing Director at Mellori, said: "Blue Jay Horizon will operate in a demanding maritime environment which will require an exceptional understanding of one of its most critical subsystems — the gyro-stabilised positioning pedestal. 

"Chess Dynamics has provided the specialist expertise needed to ensure Omega meets the rigorous performance demands of high-sea states, long-range positioning accuracy and continuous stabilisation under motion. This technical integration ensures that Blue Jay Horizon’s payloads remain precisely aligned and fully effective, even in the most challenging conditions, reinforcing the system’s reliability for navies and maritime operators worldwide."

Omega was developed to meet growing demand for high-torque, high-resilience positioners capable of carrying larger, heavier and more complex sensor configurations. It supports:

• RF and radar arrays
• Multimode sensor stacks
• Long range surveillance and targeting systems
• Custom payloads 
• Its mechanical design ensures consistent performance in extreme conditions, whether deployed at sea on a mobile land platform, or in fixed installations.

Omega is the latest addition to the positioner portfolio of Chess Dynamics (part of Cohort plc Group), which also includes:

• Cobra – designed to minimise size, weight and profile for payloads up to 30kg
• Viper – heavier duty positioner particularly well-suited for vehicle-mounting with 60kg capacity
• Zeta – dual axis, heavy duty positioner with 100kg payload capacity

The portfolio of Chess positioners all share a common modular product architecture and are designed for ease of integration with customer payloads, high reliability and low maintenance across land, maritime and multidomain environments. The portfolio – to which Omega is now added – is in service with a wide range of international customers and is combat-proven in the harshest environments.