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Thales Australia will provide upgrades to the sonar suite of the Australia Defence Force’s Collins Class submarine fleet out to 2030 under a five-year contract extension with Defence.
The five-year contract extension with Defence will provide in-service sonar support for the Collins Class submarines, continuing vital maintenance, operational support and ongoing upgrades to the sonar suite.
The Scylla Sonar Suite comprises a number of sensors throughout the Collins Class submarine, including the Thales Australia sovereign designed and developed, Towed Array Sonar.
The Scylla Sonar comprises passive and active sonar arrays together with inboard processing and user interface software that allows the Acoustic Warfare Analyst to detect, track and classify noise sources in the ocean, passing critical information to the combat system and submarine command.
The Scylla in-service support contract consists of a range of services all delivered by teams based in NSW and Western Australia. This includes planned maintenance activities, operational support, engineering support, obsolescence management, sonar upgrades and Towed Array manufacture and repair.
“Thales Australia is delighted to continue this important partnership with the Commonwealth and Defence to provide high-performing and sovereign technology that delivers national security protection to the Australian nation,” said Thales Australia chief executive Jeff Connolly.
“From the Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle and complex underwater sensors to defence-grade cyber security protection and digital identity technology, we are committed to working with our partners to provide sovereign capabilities and support wherever it is needed.”
The Scylla in-service support contract supports 70 staff, delivered by Thales teams based in NSW and Western Australia, across key sites in Rydalmere in Sydney’s western suburbs, Rockingham and West Leederville in Perth.
“Thales Australia has been delivering this critical support to Australia’s most important Navy capability for nearly 30 years. Our teams are so passionate about supporting this critical capability for the Royal Australian Navy and many have done so for decades now,” said undersea warfare director Gregg Bohan.
“Together with the Commonwealth, Navy and industry partners, Thales Australia is committed to maintaining and evolving Australia’s underwater systems capability sovereign, resilient and sustainable, with local engineering teams in NSW and WA supporting our submarine force.”
