Thales press release
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces has once again placed its trust in Thales to maintain the French Navy’s operational superiority in underwater detection capabilities. The sonar suite developed by Thales will detect, locate and classify all types of threats at short, medium and long range and provide an unprecedented level of underwater situational awareness.
As naval forces contend with a growing array of threats and challenges, submarines remain one of their most strategically important assets. The four SSBNs in the French Navy’s Strategic Oceanic Force (Force Océanique Stratégique, FOST) are deployed to provide a permanent nuclear deterrent.
The DGA contract covers the design and development of the sonar suite for the third-generation SSBNs and the detailed design and deployment of the sonar suite for the second-generation vessels.
A set of disruptive technologies developed by Thales will ensure the acoustic superiority of France’s submarines in the years ahead. New large-format arrays housing multiple sensors will provide unparalleled levels of precision in their threat detection capabilities
The new sensors will generate significantly larger volumes of data than earlier systems. The ALICIA data processing system (Analyse, Localisation, Identification, Classification Intégrées et Alertes) will use advanced Big Data algorithms, with intuitive user interfaces to optimise operator workload and provide decision support.
“This new contract reflects the DGA’s continuing trust in Thales to support its highly strategic nuclear deterrence-related operations. The latest innovations developed by dedicated Thales engineers for the current and future generations of SSBNs will provide the French Navy with a comprehensive acoustic picture of the underwater environment to counter current and future threats, helping to consolidate its position as one of the world’s leading naval forces.”
Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, Vice President, Underwater Systems, Thales
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Naval News comments:
Thales’ ALICIA will combine a wide range of sensors into the SYCOBS 3.0 data processing system. These include large new flank array sonars, a new bow sonar and new towed sonar array known as ALRO (antenne linéaire remorquée à technologie optique). ALRO will use optical technology. The exact technology in the bow sonar has not been reported but Naval News believes that it will have moved beyond traditional cylindrical arrays. In a phone briefing held on July 10th, Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, Vice President, Underwater Systems at Thales, said the ALRO will be tested at sea in 2023 and 2024. She declined to comment on the technical details of the flank array and bow sonar. However the Thales executive added that the sonar suite will also include a new generation Mine & Obstacle Avoidance Sonar (MOAS).
ALICIA will be capable of Ultra-Low Frequency (ULF) detection meaning that even the quietest adversaries may be tracked and identified. “The challenge will be processing the massive amounts of data gathered by the new sensors. The data is expected to be an order of magnitude more than on current boats” the SNLE-3G Program Officer told Naval News in a February 2021 interview. However artificial intelligence will help the crew identify contacts, greatly aiding their work. This will help with both technical and tactical classification. The latter can be based on intelligence which usually leads to a decision from the submarine commander.
According to Thales, discussion on this program started back in 2017. The value of the contract will be between 300 million and 500 million Euros depending on final technical choices made by the DGA. The first ALICIA system (along with its associated new generation sonar arrays) is set to be fitted on a in-service Le Tromphant-class submarine (SNLE 2G) by the 2030ies.
The SNLE 3G program was officially launched on 19 February 2021. It covers the development studies until the end of 2025, the realization of the first elements of the hull and the boiler room of the first SNLE 3G, as well as the adaptation of the industrial manufacturing means of Naval Group for this program. The 2019-2025 Military Plan Law calls for the replacement of the four Le Triomphant-class SSBNs with four third generation SSBNs (SNLE 3G) beginning in 2035.
