Thales Group Logo Thales boosts Australia’s sovereign defence capabilities with the opening by the Minister for Defence Industry of a new sonar facility in Western Sydney (Photo: Thales)
To expand Australian sovereign defence capabilities, Thales Australia, a subsidiary of the French defence firm Thales, has opened a new sonar manufacturing and sustainment facility at Rydalmere in Western Sydney. The facility was inaugurated by Pat Conroy, Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, and jointly funded by Thales Australia and the Commonwealth of Australia.
In a press statement, Thales says that the 100 metre long facility will support the end-to-end manufacturing, integration and maintenance of towed array sonar systems used by submarines, surface ships and autonomous maritime systems. The facility forms part of the company’s Acoustics Centre of Excellence and will support the Hunter Class Frigate programme.
The statement adds that the facility will also support sonar systems for Collins Class submarines and BlueSentry, a next-generation autonomous maritime surveillance capability. The systems are designed to detect, track and identify underwater objects, including submarines and torpedoes.
Thales adds that local maintenance capabilities will reduce the need for lengthy offshore servicing periods, allowing Australian naval assets to spend more time deployed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The facility will also support production for export markets.
Pat Conroy
The project is expected to create dozens of direct engineering and advanced manufacturing jobs in Western Sydney over the coming years, alongside employment opportunities for supply chain partners.
“Through this new co-invested manufacturing facility, Australia is strengthening national security, creating high-value jobs and establishing a sovereign centre of excellence for advanced acoustic systems that will support both Australian Defence and export opportunities for decades to come,” says Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry.
Jeff Connolly
“The capabilities developed and manufactured at Rydalmere demonstrate Australia’s ability to deliver sovereign undersea warfare technology, from the Collins Class submarine fleet of today to the Hunter Class frigates and autonomous BlueSentry surveillance systems of the future. Thales Australia is proud to design and deliver high-quality sensors that return best-quality data, allowing for quicker and better decision that relate to national security,” says Jeff Connolly, CEO, Thales Australia and New Zealand.
