UDT 2018: New sonar for Australian submarines
Thales will support efforts by Australia to upgrade systems and capabilities of the Collins class submarines as part of an overall A$542 million ($400 million) life extension project by the government.
Specifically, Thales will provide upgrades to all six of the submarines, with work to be carried out at the company’s underwater systems centre in Australia. In total, the contract will be worth A$230 million.
‘It is critical that Australia maintain the highest levels of submarine capability from the Collins fleet until the Future Submarine enters service,’ Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said in a statement.
‘The sonar systems are the “eyes and ears” of the submarines, and Thales will bring together the best underwater sensing technology from around the world to ensure the Collins remains a potent force.’
The programme of work will see the Collins’ legacy cylindrical array replaced with a Modular Cylindrical Array (MCA) based on Sonar 2076 technology developed by Thales teams in the UK. The existing flank array will be replaced by the latest generation flank array from Thales teams in France.
Local industry, including Raytheon Australia, Sonartech Atlas and L3 Oceania, will also assist in delivering the upgrades.
A design and pre-production contract was announced in November 2016 for the upgrade.
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