Thales to equip Dutch Navy’s Orka-class submarines with sonar suite

Aim to enhance underwater capabilities of Royal Navy of Netherlands

European aerospace and defence company Thales is set to supply sonar suite to the Royal Navy of the Netherlands, as part of country’s Replacement Netherlands Submarine Capability (RNSC) programme.

Achieving a significant milestone in naval defence, European aerospace and defence company Thales says it is set to provide advanced sonar technology, with an aim to strengthen the Dutch Navy’s ability to detect and counter increasingly silent threats.

In a press statement, Thales highlights that the sonar suite will offer a comprehensive view of the underwater acoustic environment, ensuring operational superiority for the future Orka-class submarines of the Royal Navy of the Netherlands.

It adds that the sonar suite comprises 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.

It also adds that these components will work cohesively to provide a panoramic view of the underwater environment, allowing the detection, localisation and classification of all types of threats across multiple frequency ranges.

“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 COMMIT3 and to work hand in hand with Dutch industry on the RNSC programme,” says Sylvain Perrier, RNSC, Programme Director, Naval Group.

As per press statement, Thales also states that the programme aligns with Dutch government’s policy of supporting and empowering national strategic industries.

It further adds that this collaboration further strengthens the company’s engagement with the naval defence ecosystem in the Netherlands, as demonstrated by a recent contract with Dutch company Optics11 to integrate its opti array technology into the passive towed-array sonar.

Meanwhile, Thales says that it has equipped more than 50 submarines worldwide, including SSBNs, SSNs and conventionally powered attack submarines.

“We are proud that Thales‘s advanced sonar suite has been selected to equip the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Orka-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,” says Sébastien Guérémy, Vice President, Underwater Systems, Thales.

As per press statement, Thales says that this strategic agreement reinforces its role in advancing naval defence technology and highlights the growing cooperation between the Netherlands and its industry partners in enhancing maritime security.