Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DEFEA 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • Sea Air Space 2023
    • DSEI Japan 2023
    • NAVDEX 2023
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» Event News» Euronaval 2020»Euronaval: LACROIX working on new signals and decoys family for submarines
IMDEX Asia 2023
white smoke signals on water
LACROIX Defense is the French expert in submarine launched signals and decoys. The company is currently working on a new generation of systems compatible with more submarine platforms.

Euronaval: LACROIX working on new signals and decoys family for submarines

Today, LACROIX Defense's submarine launched signals and decoys are embedded aboard almost every French designed submarines. With its next generation of submarine launched devices, Lacroix intends to offer a full range of decoys and signals compatible with more submarine designs.

Yannick Smaldore 19 Oct 2020

Since the 1970s, LACROIX Defense provided decoys solutions to more than 30 navies around the world. If their products are very common on surface ships, LACROIX signals and decoys are also integrated into every French designed submarines, including those sold and built in India, Brazil or Australia. Today, LACROIX is working on new signals and decoys compatible with French and German designed submarines.

LACROIX Submarine Launched Devices

The range of submarine launched devices made by LACROIX covers different signals as well as sonar decoys:

  • Signals are employed by submarines as a means of signaling or identification with respect to aircraft and surface vessels. They also serve to transmit, for example, according to NATO codes, information regarding a submarine attack simulation. Lastly, they send a distress signal by means of a red star rocket.
  • The sonar decoys generate a false sonar echo to evade detection by surface ships, submarines, helicopter dipping sonars and torpedoes. Initially developed by the military arsenal, the technically advanced pyrotechnic products have integrated LACROIX’s product portfolio for over 20 years.

On French designed submarines, signals and decoys are embedded outside the pressure hull. Considering that signals are pyrotechnics items, such a configuration increases overall security. Their types and numbers are then determined in advance for each mission.

Yellow star signal launched from a submarine. Signals are widely used for training and operational purposes. LACROIX image

Submarine launched signals

There is a wide variety of signals used by submarines used to indicate the submarine position or to transmit a mutual agreed code to surrounding naval and air forces:

  • Red, green or yellow stars: high visibility colored star signals sent at an altitude of around 50m, during approximately 15 seconds.
  • White smoke and flame (day/night): smoke and flame signal, during approximately 7 minutes.
  • Colored smoke: colored smoke signals for day use only, with an effect duration of 2 minutes.

Submarine launched anti-sonar decoys

Alongside the variety of signals, submarines also carry anti-sonar decoys. Those are underwater countermeasure to decoy active sonars from helicopters, surface ships, submarines and active-homing torpedoes.

The underwater decoys deploy bubbles, creating anti-sonar seduction false echoes.

New signals and decoys for French and German built submarines

For now, LACROIX’s family of signals and decoys are only compatible with the external launchers of the French designed submarines. They can therefore be found in France, Malaysia, India or Brazil, and will be integrated aboard the next Australian Attack-class submarines. But for now, those underwater launched devices are not compatible with some of the best selling submarines in the world, the German TKMS Type 209 and Type 214.

Colored smoke are often used during exercises. Indian Scopène submarines are also using colored smoke around very busy harbors, to warn that the submarine is surfacing. LACROIX image

According to LACROIX representatives, the French company is working on new generation of signals and decoys, aiming to replace models currently in use on French submarines. This new family of product will be designed from scratch with a consideration for standardization:

  • The new signals and decoys will be compatible with the external launchers of the French submarines, but also with the launcher tubes of the German submarines. A small interface equipment could be integrated on every ammunition. This new family of devices will then be compatible with more than a hundred submarines worldwide.
  • The various models of next generation signals and decoys will share as many components as possible. This new design philosophy will reduce their production cost and facilitate maintenance/repairs.
  • The new design will offer increased safety for the launching systems requiring handling inside the submarine hull. LACROIX has extensive civilian and military experience in the field of pyrotechnical devices, with an excellent safety record.
  • Finally, LACROIX’s experience in flares, signals and fireworks will allow for increased performances for the colored star signals. Next generation stars will have vastly improved terminal effects: higher altitude zenith, brighter signals, longer effect duration, etc.

LACROIX already identified several customers outside the current users of French submarines. With a wider market, signals and decoys could be build on a new industrial level, reducing the production costs. These devices will then benefits from the new service offer of LACROIX, focusing on optimized ammunition management.

Ammunition decoy EURONAVAL 2020 Lacroix 2020-10-19
Tags Ammunition decoy EURONAVAL 2020 Lacroix
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More
SAS 2023

Authors

Posted by : Yannick Smaldore
Yannick is based in Lyon, France. He holds two Master’s degrees in Cultural Anthropology and in International Relations & Defense from University of Lyon. Always fascinated by aeronautical and naval technologies, he’s specialised in international arms transfers and geopolitical crises. Since 2012, he covers defense subjects for several French and international periodicals and press agencies.

Related Articles

DSEI Japan 2023: Rafael Showcases C-GEM and Wizard Decoys

DSEI Japan 2023: Rafael Showcases C-GEM and Wizard Decoys

Naval News Staff 15 Mar 2023
Rafael is showcasing its C-GEM active decoy system and Wizard corner reflector at the DSEI Japan 2023 exhibition in Tokyo.
Lacroix Launches New SYLENA module: SEAMOSC

Lacroix Launches New SYLENA module: SEAMOSC

Xavier Vavasseur 17 Oct 2022
At Euronaval 2022, French countermeasures specialist Lacroix unveils the latest addition to its SYLENA family of decoy launching systems (DLS): The SEAMOSC.
Lacroix Decoy Launchers Aboard All Qatari Navy Surface Combatants

Lacroix Decoy Launchers Aboard All Qatari Navy Surface Combatants

Xavier Vavasseur 20 Apr 2022
At DIMDEX 2022 French countermeasures specialist Lacroix was showcasing its naval Decoy Launching Systems (DLS) with a real SYLENA MK2 as the centerpiece of its booth.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved