SEA wins radar transducer contract
SEA has been awarded a £2 million, five-year contract by Ultra Electronics to supply transducers as part of the Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh programme (S2050TR) for the British Royal Navy, it announced in September.
The contract will cover the duration of the Type 23 Duke class frigate programme. The contract includes eight ship sets to support the replacement of the Sonar 2050 systems on the UK ROyal Navy’s current Type 23 frigates.
SEA will upgrade its Tonpilz Transducer design to produce a new unit that will meet Ultra's requirements to fit its Digital Array Module design. The upgrade will enhance the frigate's hull-mounted sonar capability for persistent surveillance against torpedo and submarine threats.
The contract is part of the mid-life update of the frigates, which were built between 1985 and 2002. In early 2016, Thales was awarded a £19 million contract to perform the mid-life update to the external communications voice distribution and management of the Type 23 frigate fleet.
The UK operates 13 Type 23 Duke Class frigates. Initially designed for anti-submarine warfare, the frigates are currently also used for anti-surface warfare with their Boeing Harpoon surface-to-surface missile and Seawolf point missile defence system.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
