Thin-line towed arrays on uncrewed vessels deliver more cost-effective sonar, says SEA
The KraitArray thin-line towed array sonar solution is a way of providing high technology at lower cost. (Photo: SEA)
Historically, towed array sonar has been a transformative technology, giving beyond-the-horizon awareness of the undersea environment. But such towed arrays have traditionally been large, bulky pieces of equipment, requiring larger crewed vessels to use them.
Now though, technological miniaturisation is producing towed arrays that are small enough for light crewed vessels and even for the new generation of uncrewed vessels to use.
Chris Tucker, sonar product technical authority at SEA, recently explained the advances in towed array technology at the UDT conference in Oslo. Shephard asked him why navies should be looking into it.
“Towed array sonar has always been a
Our news & analysis is now part of Defence Insight®
A Basic-level or higher Defence Insight subscription is now required to view this content.
More from Naval Warfare
-
Australia’s revised defence investment plan: what it means for naval warfare
The 2026 Integrated Investment Program allocates up to A$130 billion for undersea warfare, committing the Royal Australian Navy to nuclear-powered submarines, autonomous platforms and an expanded surface combatant fleet over the next decade.
-
AUKUS settles into steadier waters as industrial pathways widen
Sessions at UDT 2026 signalled that the AUKUS programme is pressing ahead at a steady pace – with trilateral commitment reaffirmed, Australian industrial capacity expanding and additive manufacturing emerging as an opportunity for suppliers.
-
How Canada is preparing the future River-class destroyers to endure uncrewed threats
Designed in 2019, Canada's new River-class destroyers are planned to be handed over by the 2050s. The long procurement timeline has cast doubt on whether the platforms will be obsolete for tomorrow’s warfare.
-
Latest Russian subsea standoff puts pressure on the UK’s seabed defence strategy
UK defence secretary John Healey’s exposure of a covert Russian deep-sea operation against undersea infrastructure in the Atlantic validates the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion concept but lays bare a capacity gap that autonomous systems, allied integration and sustained investment must close.