Thales will supply sonar systems for future Dutch submarine fleet
PARIS - French defence electronics specialist Thales has won a contract to supply the entire sonar and acoustic system for the Royal Dutch Navy's Orka-class submarine fleet, which will be built by Naval Group, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The submarine sonar contract represents the first in 15 years for Thales outside its core submarine markets, which include France, the UK, the US and Australia, said Emmanuel Michaud, vice president for submarines and surface ships at Thales. The sensor suite for the four Dutch submarines will form the basis of Thales' export offering for other submarine programmes coming up, he added.
The contract 'is our stepping stone to a new generation of export submarine systems,' Michaud said. "That is why the contract is absolutely crucial for us, because it is the first in a hopefully long series of contracts. The submarine market is currently very active."
Thales has signed an agreement with Naval Group to supply the four sonar suites, with the value of the contract ranging from €100m ($109m) to €1bn, according to Michaud, who declined to give an exact price. "Let's say we are extremely satisfied with this contract." Thales obtained a contract by BAE Systems in 2020 to provide the £330 million ($428 million) sonar system for the UK's four Dreadnought nuclear submarines.
The sensor suite will be 'heavily derived' from the system equipping the French Suffren-class nuclear attack submarines, according to Michaud. The same Thales team that is working on the delivery of the last three of the six Suffren-class submarines will work on the Dutch contract, he said.
One year ago the Netherlands have chosen Naval Group to build four conventionally-powered attack submarines in a project worth up to EUR 5.65 billion to replace the obsolete Walrus-class submarines. The Dutch submarines will be based on the same Naval Group Barracuda programme that produced the Suffren class.
"We have Barracuda, we have invested a lot thanks to the Ministry of Defence and the French Navy, and this gives us a competitive advantage," Michaud said. "We continue to improve our product with this export contract for submarines with very, very strict requirements from the Dutch Navy."
Most of the products included in the sonar suite for Dutch submarines already exist and are being progressively improved in terms of hardware and software, he said.
The first two submarines of the Dutch contract are scheduled for delivery by 2034, and "we are already working flat out to be on time for the delivery of the first submarine," Michaud said. He added that, given the complexity of everything that needs to be assembled, "I will be happy in 2034 when everything is delivered."
Thales claims to be the world leader in sonar, equipping around 50 submarines and with a 50% share of the accessible market. Customers include the navies of France, the UK and Australia, as well as Singapore, Chile and Malaysia.
Thales will supply 'the full range of what can be installed on a submarine with regard to acoustics' for the Dutch submarines, including main antennas such as the bow-mounted cylindrical array and the side-mounted sonar array, according to Michaud. Other equipment will include an intercept array on the top of the submarine and a mine and obstacle avoidance sonar that can also map the seabed
The French company is working with Dutch company Optical11 to develop a towed linear antenna using optical technology that will be included in Thales' sonar suite. The Amsterdam-based company claims to be the world leader in fibre-optic sensing technology for ultra
<sensitive early warning systems.
The level of technological maturity for the optical array 'is not yet at a stage that would allow us to move immediately into full production,' Michaud said. Thales and Optical11 agreed on a feasibility study in November that will run through much of 2025, with the aim of including the technology on Dutch submarines. "It is a very challenging technology, but very promising."
"If this is successful, and we are working hard to make it successful, we will definitely adopt this technology or product for our contracts with exporting countries," Michaud said. He added that the French defence ministry is also developing an optical towed array, however this is proprietary "and we will never be able to export it."
The Dutch submarines will be equipped with a double row of side-mounted sonar arrays as a cost-effective way to increase sensor area and improve detection, as developing a new array would have been 'extremely expensive' and would have taken too long, Michaud said.
Regarding a plan by Poland to buy submarines, Michaud said Thales does not comment on market opportunities led by Naval Group. He said Thales' strategy is to offer a 'very versatile' sonar suite that can meet the requirements of many customers, avoiding additional developments that would increase cost, time and risk.
Published by Condoralex
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