MoD Approved Sonar 2076 Stage 5 Critical Design Review

Released on Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Thales UK's underwater systems business, based in Templecombe and Cheadle Heath, has successfully passed the Sonar 2076 Stage 5 Critical Design Review (CDR) undertaken by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). This was a major milestone in the Stage 5 programme, highlighting the rapid progress being made in the development of an open architecture technology to underpin Sonar 2076's world beating capability.

Thales demonstrated to the MoD customer the maturity of the system, with operational software hosted on actual hardware, enhancing the company's record as the leading provider and integrator of UK sonar technology.

The design solution for Stage 5 provides significant benefits for the customer, including the potential for rapid capability insertion, reduced through-life costs of ownership and improved obsolescence management. Furthermore, it supports a long-term objective to transition the legacy tactical weapon system to an open-architecture common core combat system.

"The Thales approach to open-system architecture is based on industry-recognised service-oriented standards, enabling our sonar systems to receive rapid capability upgrades. This is in line with the Ministry of Defence's drive for cost-effective approaches to thru-life capability management," says Ed Lowe, Managing Director of Thales UK's naval business.

Captain Pat O'Neill, the MoD's Submarine Combat System Group leader, said that he is "very pleased with the progress of the Sonar 2076, Stage 5 programme". He paid tribute to the excellent collaborative approach being taken by the Thales, BAE Systems and MoD teams, and looks forward to the fit of a Stage 5 system in a Trafalgar-class submarine, marking another key step towards a sustainable open submarine combat system.

Thales UK was awarded the Sonar 2076 Stage 5 contract, worth some £30 million, in September 2006. The programme will replace the existing Sonar 2076 Stage 4 inboard processing on a single Trafalgar platform and will be a candidate for subsequently replacing the Sonar 2076 Stage 4 inboard processing equipment installed on Trafalgar- and Astute-class submarines with an open-architecture COTS-based processing system.

This programme is seen as a key initiative in reducing acquisition costs for additional Astute-class boats and reducing in-service support costs of the first three submarines currently in build.