Sonardyne Sentinel equips OPVs in Asia

Sonardyne International is supplying its Sentinel diver detection sonar technology for a fleet of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) under construction in Asia, the company announced on 25 July.

Two ship-fit Sentinels have now been tested and delivered, with more to follow, as part of a wider contract to equip each OPV with a fully integrated capability.

The Sentinels will work with MARSS Group’s NiDAR long range maritime surveillance system to provide complete underwater awareness, detecting unauthorised divers and subsurface vehicles approaching the OPVs and the assets they protect.

The Sentinel sonar heads will be deployed from the OPVs using through-hull technology specially developed by MARSS. Controlled and monitored by NiDAR, the sonars can be lowered automatically to establish an instant, 360 degree monitored zone around the ships.

Sentinel can detect, track and classify underwater threats at up to 1,200m range to provide a deployable perimeter intrusion capability to safeguard commercial harbours, private yachts, naval vessels, and critical national infrastructure.

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