Ultra Maritime is expanding its presence in the global defence sector, securing a major contract with Thales Group to support the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA). This contract will see the supply of advanced sonobuoy technologies, enhancing the Marine Nationale’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. Ultra Maritime will provide a range of active and passive sonobuoys, integrating some of the latest innovations from its new production lines in the U.S.
As undersea domain awareness grows in importance, the need for advanced technologies to counter increasingly sophisticated and stealthy threats – particularly from submarines and uncrewed vehicles – has never been greater. Ultra Maritime’s latest sonobuoys, developed after years of refinement and enhancement, are designed to meet the world’s most rigorous ASW requirements. These sonobuoys, manufactured at the company’s facilities in the U.S., Canada, and the UK, are poised to make a significant impact in detecting and neutralizing undersea threats.
The core of Ultra Maritime’s contribution to the Marine Nationale will be the state-of-the-art U.S.-produced AN/SSQ 62E DICASS and AN/SSQ 53G DIFAR sonobuoys. These models are engineered with cutting-edge battery technology, which nearly doubles the operational life of the active sonobuoys, boosting their acoustic output. This results in enhanced detection, localization, and classification capabilities, ensuring reliable and precise outcomes during critical defence operations.
Additionally, Ultra Maritime will deliver G-size AN/SSQ 536G Bathythermal buoys from its Canadian facility in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. These advanced sonobuoys are more compact, offering significant performance in a lighter, more manageable form factor. This makes them particularly well-suited for use in rotary-wing and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operations, where minimizing payload size and weight is essential.
With these cutting-edge solutions, Ultra Maritime is solidifying its role as a key player in ASW technologies, providing the Marine Nationale with enhanced capabilities and a greater likelihood of detecting undersea threats before they can pose a danger.