07 April 2020

First Sonar 2150 sonar fit completed on Type 23 frigate

by Richard Scott

The UK Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate HMS Portland has become the first ship of its class to be fitted with the Sonar 2150 hull-mounted medium-frequency sonar.

The new outboard array associated with Sonar 2150. (Ultra Electronics)

Ultra Electronics Command & Sonar Systems was in late 2014 awarded a GBP27 million (USD33 million) contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to deliver the Sonar 2050 Technology Refresh (S2050TR) programme. The S2050TR was established to address obsolescence in the legacy Thales Sonar 2050 system, reduce in-service support costs, and introduce a modern, sustainable commercial off-the-shelf-based architecture.

The new system, subsequently given the designation Sonar 2150, is to equip the RN’s eight anti-submarine warfare (ASW)-roled Type 23 frigates (comprising Kent , Northumberland, Portland, Richmond, Somerset, St Albans, Sutherland , and Westminster ). These ships are already fitted with the long-range Thales Sonar 2087 low-frequency active/passive variable depth sonar system.

The full scope of Ultra’s contract covers the design and development of the Sonar 2150 system, installation and testing on the eight ships, and the provision of in-service support for a five-year period following first-of-class acceptance. The new system provides active and passive ASW surveillance and classification, automatic torpedo detection, mine and obstacle avoidance, and automatic marine mammal detection.

The Sonar 2150 replaces both the current outboard (array) and inboard (electronics cabinets and dual operator display console) Sonar 2050 subsystems. Key features include a digitised array, a significant rationalisation of inboard electronics, and a modern, intuitive human machine interface to improve operator productivity and ease training requirements.

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