Thales Group has awarded Ultra Maritime a multi-product contract to supply active and passive sonobuoys to the French defense procurement agency.
The company will supply its newly developed AN/SSQ-62E DICASS, AN/SSQ-53G DIFAR sonobuoys, and G-size AN/SSQ-536G bathythermograph sonobuoys.
These technologies feature enhanced acoustic output to improve detection, localization, and classification, supporting France’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
“As undersea domain awareness becomes increasingly critical, and submarine and uncrewed threats more and more stealthy, enhancements in sonobuoy performance make the difference between detecting an undersea threat and missing it,” stated Ultra Maritime.
The Systems
The AN/SSQ-62E DICASS is a sonobuoy designed to detect and locate submarines by transmitting sound pulses and analyzing the echoes.
It operates at depths of up to 1,500 feet (460 meters) and weighs 36 pounds (16.3 kilograms).
The AN/SSQ-53G DIFAR combines directional and wide-band acoustic sensing in a single device and includes GPS for precise location tracking.
It weighs 21 pounds (9.5 kilograms) and can operate at depths of up to 1,000 feet (305 meters).
Both systems can be deployed from aircraft or ships.
Ultra Maritime will also provide G-size AN/SSQ-536G bathythermograph sonobuoys designed for use on rotary-wing platforms and unmanned aerial vehicles where size and weight constraints are critical.
The SSQ-536G measures water temperature at different depths, creating a profile that helps analyze underwater sound propagation.
It measures and records water temperature from the surface to a depth of 800 meters (2,625 feet) in less than 10 minutes.
It is deployable at airspeeds up to 370 knots (425 miles/685 kilometers per hour).
