Leonardo completes live sea trials for ULISSES anti-submarine warfare suite

Leonardo announced it has completed live sea trails of new Ultra-Light Sonics Enhanced System (ULISSES) anti-submarine warfare (ASW) suite and expects to finalise development by the end of the year, enabling marketing and production to start in 2020.

“At-sea demonstrating campaigns for potential customers are planned from next springtime as Leonardo is in talks with a number of potential domestic and international customers,” said Pietro Vanotti, vice-president of the Combat Air Systems business area of Leonardo’s Electronics division.

“Based on the experience gained with the current OTS-90 acoustic system, used on board Italian and Dutch Navies’ NH Industries NH90 Naval Frigate Helicopter, we have developed a new-generation suite which is characterised by enhanced and multi-static capabilities, but reduced weight and footprint, allowing the installation on a wider range of fixed- and rotary-wing platforms, including lightweight assets such as unmanned air vehicles,” Vanotti told Jane’s .

The ULISSES suite’s core is composed of a sonobuoy processor with embedded data recorder developed by Leonardo, a digital very high frequency (VHF) receiver, and a common function transmitter (CFT) unit devoted to the ultra high frequency (UHF) downlink to buoys.

The self-contained ASW suite based on Leonardo’s ULISSES and Ultra Electronics sonbuoys. (Luca Peruzzi)

“Under the collaboration agreement announced during the Farnborough Airshow 2018, Ultra Electronics Command & Sonar Systems contributes with [its] latest-generation family of sonobuoys and the multi-static functionalities embedded in the sonobuoy processor, while L3Harris Ocean Systems provides integration with its new-generation version of active long-range low-frequency HELRAS DS-100 and medium frequency FDSS [Firefly Dipping Sonars System] systems”, explained Vanotti.