Ultra Electronics USSI to support USN underwater warfare superiority

Ultra Electronics USSI will design, manufacture, test and deliver an Extended Range - Directional Frequency Analysis and Recording (ER-DIFAR) system to the USN by July 2024, under a $24.13 million contract from the Office of Naval Research.

The contract was awarded after a competitive process.

ER-DIFAR is intended to enhance the ability of the USN to detect underwater threats, being ‘integral… to the US Navy’s technology roadmap to ensure global ASW superiority,’ Ultra noted in a 14 September statement.

Ultra Electronics USSI has experience in producing hydrophones and DIFAR elements, as well as modern fabrication and test methods associated with air-deployed sonobuoys.

Patrick Allison, vice-president of business development, said: ‘Ultra has positioned its technology and decades of ASW sonobuoy experience to leverage low-cost, highly reliable ASW sensors that complement the USN underwater sonar architecture.’

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