Royal Navy accepts Thales sonar
The Royal Navy has accepted Thales UK’s new 2093 mine countermeasures sonar after the successful completion of sea trials on HMS Grimsby, Thales announced on 20 August.
Thales UK developed the enhanced 2093 Wideband variant under the 2093 Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) for the Royal Navy to improve threat recognition capability and range.
The 2093 Wideband variant is a multi-frequency variable depth sonar system designed to counter the threat of modern mines in both deep and shallow water. Its sonar transmitter and receiver are contained within a towed body which is lowered below the ship by automated winch of armoured cable, penetrating oceanic temperature layers which can block sonar signals.
The system's pulse compression technology allows long range detection and classification of new generation, low target strength mines, while wider fields of view and multiple search and classification frequencies ensure that the critical mine hunting parameters of coverage rate and speed of advance are maximised under any operational conditions.
The remaining six Sandown-class minehunters will all be refitted with 2093 CSP at the Royal Navy’s dockyard in Rosyth.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN]()
US Navy takes delivery of New Jersey SSN
The USN’s Virginia-class SSNs are replacing the old Los Angeles-class SSNs. The Virginia-class SSNs are fitted with the latest sensors and weapons and around 48 submarines are planned, with a total of 38 currently ordered.
-
![BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement]()
BMT and DNV partner to meet Australia’s heavy landing craft requirement
Under Project Land 8710 Phase 2, Australia has been seeking to acquire an undisclosed number of Littoral Manoeuvre Vessels to replace the Balikpapan-class. The programme has an estimated value of AU$1.4 billion (US$910 million), with IOC slated for 2032.
-
![Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates]()
Babcock to take over upkeep of Royal Navy Type-23 frigates
The Royal Navy’s Type-23 Duke-class frigates for the UK Royal Navy were designed as anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ships but now have a multi-role function. Of the 16 Type 23s built, 12 remain in service with the Royal Navy and will be replaced by the Type-26 frigates before 2035.
-
![Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat]()
Austal completes autonomy trials with former Royal Australian Navy patrol boat
The work took place under the Patrol Boat Autonomy Trial (PBAT), which has been a collaboration between Austal, Greenroom Robotics, the Trusted Autonomous Systems Defence Cooperative Research Centre and the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Warfare Innovation Navy Branch.
-
![Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine]()
Singapore launches fourth and final Type 218SG submarine
The era of southeast Asian submarine modernisation has been in full swing fuelled by growing tensions in the South China Sea.
