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.
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