Collins subs set for sonar upgrade
Thales is set to upgrade sonar systems on the Royal Australian Navy’s Collins class submarines under a design and pre-production contract announced on 23 November.
The improvements will include upgrades to the submarines’ cylindrical array, flank array, and on-board processing, giving the boats the ability to outperform advanced underwater threats in an increasingly complex environment.
This work will support decisions on the rollout programme of sonar and wider Collins class upgrades, which will be subject to final government approval in 2018.
The Collins’ legacy cylindrical array will be replaced with a modular cylindrical array. The existing flank array will be replaced by the latest generation flank array; and Thales will also work with local industry to integrate products from other Australian providers including Sonartech Atlas and L3 Oceania into the solution.
The work will see underwater sensing systems improved for the first time since the submarines entered service in the 1990s.
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