Canada brings Sonar 2087 aboard RCD in ASW sonar turnaround

Canada's new River-class destroyers will be fitted with the Thales Sonar 2087 low frequency active/passive ASW sonar system, shown here. (Richard Scott/NAVYPIX)

The Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) new River-class destroyers (RCDs) will receive the Thales UK Sonar 2087 low-frequency active/passive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonar system instead of a Canadian-developed low-frequency active/passive towed sonar system previously slated for the class, Thales Canada said in a 28 May statement.

Confirming the contract to supply Sonar 2087 to the RCD programme on 28 May, Thales Canada said that the move “strengthens interoperability” among NATO allies and Australia.

Sonar 2087 equips UK Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigates, and has also been selected for the RN's new Type 26 City-class ASW frigates and Australia's Hunter-class frigates.

Designed to replace the RCN's 12 current Halifax-class frigates and four now retired Iroquois-class destroyers, the RCD programme involves the build, integration, and delivery of 15 new surface combatants based on the same platform as the RN's Type 26 frigate.

Irving Shipbuilding will build the ships at its facility in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy; Lockheed Martin Canada leads the associated industry design team selected to deliver the ship design.

Lockheed Martin Canada, Irving Shipbuilding, and the government have been working to mature and finalise both the platform design and combat system architecture.

Ultra Maritime was contracted by Lockheed Martin Canada in February 2019 to perform programme definition as underwater warfare lead. Ultra said at the time that it would “provide a low-frequency active and passive towed sonar system paired with its next-generation hull-mounted sonar [and] lead the integration of these sensors with sonobuoys and other capabilities for wide-area underwater battlespace surveillance”.