SAES & Thales have declared their intention to reinforce their cooperation in the field of ASW as part of the global commercial collaboration that both companies are strengthening, more particularly within SonoFlash and Dipping Sonar. SonoFlash is a new generation of active and passive sonobuoys to be deployed from fixed & rotary wing aircrafts, as well as UAVs (MALE) for armed forces.
SAES (S. A. Electronica Submarina) is a major player in the fields of sonar technology and anti-submarine defence, backed by its participation in the Spanish Navy’s major naval programmes for more than 30 years. Among others, it has been an essential part of the Spanish Segura class minehunters, the S-70 and S-80 submarines, the F-100 and F110 frigates and the P-3M maritime patrol aircraft, all of them dedicated to the submarine defence of our coasts.
About Thales SonoFlash
Thales won in January 2021 a DGA contract for the development, qualification and mass production of the new SonoFlash sonobuoy. This game changing active-passive sonobuoy is a strategic tool to complement the ASW systems currently deployed by the French Navy, providing France with a sovereign solution for high-performance acoustic buoys.
SonoFlash will be available for export to France’s allies, for all current and future air platforms: MPAs, ASW helicopters and unmanned platforms (unmanned surface vessels, rotary wing UAVs and fixed wing UAVs).
According to Thales, the SonoFlash’s innovative design and advanced technology incorporate several key features that deliver unmatched performance. Today’s buoys are either passive or active, but the SonoFlash combines the two modes in a single sonobuoy: an optimal, powerful low-frequency transmitter and a passive receiver with a high directivity gain. The combination of these two capabilities with high endurance makes the SonoFlash buoy very versatile.
To learn more about the SonoFlash, check out our in depth article:
