Next-gen sonar suite to equip French Navy's ballistic-missile submarines
NewsFebruary 22, 2021
FRANCE. Thales has announced that with the launch of full-scale development of France's third generation of nuclear-powered ballistic-missile submarines (SNLE 3G), the company is developing a new sonar suite based on disruptive technologies.
According to the company, Thales will provide new-generation flank arrays and bow-mounted sonars, a towed linear array based on optical technology (ALRO), and all the other equipment making up the sonar suite (intercept arrays, echo-sounders, underwater telephones).
The ALICIA sensor data processing system (Analyze, Localization, Identification, Classification Intégrées et Alertes), with a user interface designed to handle the diversity and volume of available data, will optimise operator workload and provide decision support.
Thales officials claim that the new sonar suite will be deployed incrementally, with the first technological building blocks and system versions due to be installed on second-generation SSBNs (SNLE 2G) from 2025, and on the third-generation submarines (SNLE 3G) from 2035.
