The announcement was made on the third day of the IDEX/NAVDEX 2023 exhibition held in Abu Dhabi between 20 and 24 February 2023. The total worth of the deal is AED 407 million, equal to around $ 11 million.
The official IDEX press release read:
“The other two signed contracts were an AED 407 million contract with the French company Naval Group, to procure Anti-Torpedoes’ CANTO systems AND mu-90 torpedoes.”
These systems are highly likely being procured for the future Bani Yas-class (Gowind type) corvettes under construction in France for the UAE Navy. The first ship-in-class, Bani Yas, was launched in December 2021 and her sister-ship, Al Emarat, in may last year. Both vessel are currently at fitting out stage at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient, Britany. The CANTO will be deployed from Naval Group’s new decoy launchers.
About MU90 Lightweight Torpedo
The MU90/IMPACT Advanced Lightweight Torpedo is the result of the Italian-French co-operation that started in 1991 after signing an agreement for the development and design of a joint arming system between the two European countries.
MU90 is a fire-and-forget type, conceived to cope with any-task any-environment capability requirements and meet the ASW operational needs of the 21st century. It is in mass production for 6 major NATO and Allied Countries; more than 1000 units have been built in France and Italy (Livorno).
The weapon has been designed to counter any type of nuclear or conventional submarine, acoustically coated, deep and fast-evasive, deploying active or passive antitorpedo effectors.
The torpedo can be deployed by any type of platform such as surface vessels, fixed or rotary wing aircraft or missiles. Pre-arrangements to cope with SubmarineLaunched Anti-Air Missiles (SLAAM) have been already incorporated in the system.
The MU90/IMPACT torpedo is 323.7mm ‘NATO Standard’ calibre, weight 304kg and is 2850mm long. Powered through an Aluminium-Silver Oxide sea water battery using dissolved sodium-dioxide powder as electrolyte and incorporating an advanced closed-loop electrolyte re-circulation system, the torpedo is propelled by an electronically controlled high-RPM brush-less motor driving a skewed multi-blades pumpjet propulsor allowing a continuously variable torpedo speed automatically selected by the tactics of the weapon according to the scenario, the environment and the operational phase.
The weapon, of extremely long endurance, operates without any speed degradation and any limitation of salinity and temperature in water depths in excess of 1000m and as shallow as 25m, retaining navigation capability up to 3m. The advanced acoustic seeker features multi pre-formed transmission and reception beams.
About CANTO
CANTO is the latest countermeasure generation in the defence industry. This breakthrough in the field of anti-torpedo defence applies a unique concept to defend the frigate. It is based on the dilution/confusion concept to defend high value and mission essential units by generating a highlevel acoustic signal over 360-degree, covering the full frequency range of the attacking torpedo.
This anti-torpedo system is fitted with its associated reaction module Contralto®, which computes the most appropriate evasive manoeuvre and deployment sequence once a threat is detected.
CANTO® and CONTRALTO® are worldwide references already in service in the French Navy and in many foreign navies.
