Ultra has been awarded a contract to start work on a key Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) system for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program – named the Towed Low Frequency Active Sonar (TLFAS). This subcontract moves the development of CSC’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability from the program definition phase into the full manufacture and delivery of the vessels suite of sonars, the company says.
The TLFAS towed sonar solution is optimized for the detection and tracking of submarines in challenging ocean environments. When delivered Ultra says it will represent a “step-change in Canada’s anti-submarine warfare assets and will provide a level of sonar capability never before enjoyed by the Royal Canadian Navy.”
In the two years since having been originally awarded program definition studies for CSC, working in close partnership with Lockheed Martin Canada and Irving Shipbuilding Inc., Ultra says their Canadian team has grown by more than 150 employees, with another 80 high-tech roles expected to be made available in 2021 alone.
“Ultra recognizes our responsibility to provide, through CSC, the highest possible level of ASW capability to the Royal Canadian Navy. We are therefore immensely proud of this contract award, especially because it is grounded in Canadian innovation and ingenuity, and because it will be an enduring driver of both operational capability and national industrial benefit,” Bernard Mills, president of Ultra Maritime Sonar Systems commented.