Thales Australia’s BlueSentry thin-line towed sonar array has been successfully integrated into Saildrone’s Surveyor-class Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV), demonstrating exceptional operational performance during a weeks-long mission conducted off the United States.
Thales press release
The successful trial, funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research, has advanced an AUKUS-aligned partnership that could boost the national security of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
During a continuous 26-day mission off the coast of California, the system identified and tracked vessels of interest in real time for further investigation by maritime security partners. The system showed particularly strong results in maintaining continuous surveillance across high-traffic areas where traditional maritime security assets are stretched thin and face significant operational challenges.
The system showed an ability to detect and track surface vessels, submarines and UUVs.
These capabilities, which can be effective in remote waters off the Australian coast, can also deliver on AUKUS Pillar 2 Undersea Warfare needs.
Saildrone’s Surveyor-class is a long-range, persistent autonomous maritime-domain awareness solution that harnesses wind and solar power while incorporating advanced communications technology and high-performance sensors.
Thales Australia’s BlueSentry thin-line towed array is a next-generation sonar payload designed and manufactured to enhance ASW and maritime domain awareness. It employs world-class acoustic sensor technology for both active and passive applications, along with advanced signal processing, recording, and reporting capabilities.
All components of BlueSentry, from the array to the data processing, are developed, manufactured and integrated in Thales Australia’s facility in Rydalmere, Western Sydney.
Saildrone and Thales Australia are ready to deploy these systems at scale, creating a network of autonomous, self-sustaining surveillance assets to enhance national security. As threats evolve and the demand for persistent undersea awareness increases, the Saildrone-Thales system offers a scalable, low-cost alternative to traditional surveillance platforms.
“This partnership and integration set the standard for future intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance at sea particularly in sensitive and remote regions where traditional maritime security assets are stretched thin and have significant operational challenges.”
Jeff Connolly, CEO, Thales Australia and New Zealand
“The integration of Thales Australia’s BlueSentry onto Saildrone’s Surveyor-class, as a core component of its maritime domain awareness solution, paves the way for greater naval interoperability between AUKUS partners and delivers on AUKUS Pillar 2 Undersea Warfare needs.
“The successful test has proven the new system’s ready-to-deploy capabilities which can be used to detect drug trafficking, enemy submarines or even people smuggling vessels in difficult to monitor areas, offering a powerful capability and real time identification and tracking for both military and government customers.”
“The acoustic performance of the BlueSentry array, paired with a platform as silent and capable as the Saildrone Surveyor, represents a considerable step forward in undersea observation,” said Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone. “The extreme endurance of the system allows us to put eyes and ears in places that were previously out of reach, at a cost point orders of magnitude below traditional manned surveillance platforms.”
Richard Jenkins, founder and CEO of Saildrone
