By A Correspondent
New Delhi: Thales, a partner of both Naval Group and the Royal Netherlands Navy, will provide a comprehensive suite of high-performance sonar systems for the future class of submarines that will replace the Walrus-class vessels in service today.
“The contract will provide the submarines with a comprehensive picture of the underwater acoustic environment, helping the Netherlands to guarantee operational superiority,” a company statement said on Mar. 19, 2025.
The sonar suite features high-performance acoustic sensors, including bow, flank, and obstacle-avoidance sonars, an intercept array, a passive towed-array sonar, an underwater voice communication system, an echo-sounder, and signal processing racks.
“This cohesive suite of equipment will provide an unprecedented panoramic view of the underwater environment, making it possible to detect, locate, and classify all types of threats at short, medium, and long-range across a wide range of frequencies,” it said.
“The highly capable Thales sonar suite was a key component of Naval Group’s bid for this programme, and will make a significant contribution to the acoustic superiority of the Orka-class submarines. We know we can count on Thales to meet the demanding requirements of the COMMIT and to work hand in hand with Dutch industry on the RNSC programme,” Naval Group RNSC programme director Sylvain Perrier said.
This programme is an opportunity for Thales to align with the Dutch government’s policy of support and empowerment of strategic national industries.
It will consolidate the company’s engagement with the naval defence ecosystem in the Netherlands, within the framework of the RNSC programme, as illustrated by a recent contract with the Dutch company Optics11, to use its OptiArray technology in the passive towed-array sonar.
“We are proud that Thales’s advanced sonar suite has been selected to equip the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Okra-class submarines. This partnership will enhance the technological superiority of the Dutch armed forces, and reflects our ongoing commitment to providing innovative, dependable solutions in support of the defence capabilities of allied nations,” said Thales Underwater Systems vice president Sébastien Guérémy said.
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