The UK government has confirmed that Australia will equip its Hunter-class frigates with the Thales 2087 sonar system, a move set to contribute around £45 million to the UK economy, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Sonar 2087, manufactured in the United Kingdom by Thales Underwater Systems, is a towed array sonar system that replaces the older Sonar 2031 in the Royal Navy. It equips a number of Type 23 frigates and is also set to feature on the Royal Navy’s new Type 26 frigates currently under production. A low-frequency active sonar (LFAS) system, the 2087 consists of both active and passive sonar arrays.

Thales describes the Sonar 2087 as a system that enables “frigates to hunt the latest submarines at considerable distances and locate them beyond the range at which they [submarines] can launch an attack”.

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The Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers will receive a £500-million upgrade to enhance their firepower capability under contracts placed by Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S)

Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd (SEA) Limited the UK maritime defence system specialist and part of the Cohort Group, has been awarded a new contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to manage and update in-service sonar equipment.

The contract, with a value of £25 m over the next 10 years, was won through competitive tender. It underpins SEA’s sonar equipment and systems capability and strong relationship with the UK MoD. Under the new contract, SEA will expand its innovative Anti-Submarine Warfare solutions, through the design and development of a part of the MoD’s next generation sonar equipment.

Additionally, having successfully delivered this service as part of a previous contract, SEA will continue to maintain a range of the Royal Navy’s existing sonars and deliver the equipment on an availability basis, ensuring that it is consistently ready for operations.  

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IAI – Israel Aerospace Industries and Thales UK have partnered to offer the SEA SERPENT anti-ship and anti-surface missile solution for the Royal Navy to equip Type 23 frigates with an anti-ship and anti-surface missile that can match and overmatch a rapidly expanding range and intensity of current and emerging threats.

According to IAI, the SEA SERPENT delivers highly penetrative, combined anti-ship and land attack capabilities at ranges exceeding 200km.

IAI said that it can adjust its course or re-task in flight based on real-time intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) feeds.

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An expanding Navy, armed with the latest weaponry, equipped with the latest tech, deployed more around the world to meet the UK’s expanding horizons.

That is what the 2021 Integrated Review means to the Royal Navy.

New ships. More ships. New weapons. New technologies. New missions.

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Congratulations to National Maritime SME Maritime Working Group sector champions VolkerStevin winners of the UK Ministry of Defence Sustainable Business Award for the best commercial project which delivers sustainable solutions to enable the Armed Forces to live, work or train. It was won for their work at the HNMB Portsmouth Naval Base’s, The Princess Royal and Victory Jetties Project. A partnership project between the Royal Navy, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), VolkerStevin, Jacobs and Naval Base stakeholders for the reconstruction of the jetties to create sustainable moorings able to accommodate the Royal Navy’s two new aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The project also won the Sustainable Construction category.