The French defence-electronics company Thales announced on March 19 that it has secured a contract to supply the complete sonar and acoustics suite for the Royal Netherlands Navy’s Orka-class submarine fleet, to be built by Naval Group. It marks Thales’s first major submarine sonar contract outside its core markets of France, the U.K., the U.S., and Australia in 15 years. The advanced sensor suite for the four Dutch submarines will serve as a reference for future export opportunities.
“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 underscores our commitment to delivering innovative, dependable solutions to allied nations,” said Sébastien Guérémy, Vice President of Underwater Systems at Thales.
Thales signed an agreement with Naval Group to supply the sonar suites, building on its previous success in 2020 when it won a contract from BAE Systems to equip the U.K.’s four Dreadnought-class nuclear submarines.
The sonar suite for the Dutch submarines will be heavily derived from the system used in France’s Suffren-class nuclear attack submarines. The same Thales team responsible for the remaining Suffren-class submarines will lead the Dutch program.
Sylvain Perrier, RNSC Programme Director for Naval Group, highlighted the significance of the Thales sonar system: “The highly capable Thales sonar suite was a key component of Naval Group’s bid and will play a crucial role in ensuring the acoustic superiority of the Orka-class submarines. We trust Thales to meet the rigorous requirements of the COMMIT program and to collaborate closely with Dutch industry.”
The sonar suite is equipped with high-performance acoustic sensors, which include 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 integrated suite of equipment will provide an exceptional panoramic view of the underwater environment, enabling the detection, location, and classification of various threats at short, medium, and long ranges across a wide range of frequencies.
A year ago, the Netherlands selected Naval Group to build four conventionally powered attack submarines to replace its ageing Walrus-class fleet. The new Dutch submarines will be based on the Naval Group’s Barracuda program, which produced the Suffren class.
This contract aligns with the Dutch government’s policy of strengthening national defence industries. Thales reinforces its presence in the Netherlands through strategic collaborations, such as its recent agreement with Dutch company Optics11 to integrate OptiArray technology into the passive towed-array sonar.
The first two Orka-class submarines are expected to be delivered by 2034.
Team BharatShakti
