The sonar suite will offer detailed underwater acoustic monitoring, enhancing the submarines' ability to detect and counter increasingly stealthy threats.
Thales, a leading provider of underwater systems, equips over 50 submarines worldwide, including SSBNs, SSNs, and conventionally powered attack submarines. As a long-standing partner of both Naval Group and the Royal Netherlands Navy, Thales will deliver a complete sonar system for the new submarines, which will replace the Walrus-class vessels currently in service.
The sonar suite includes bow, flank, and obstacle-avoidance sonars, an intercept array, a passive towed-array sonar, an underwater voice communication system, an echo sounder, and signal processing racks. This system provides a 360-degree view of the underwater environment, enabling detection, tracking, and classification of threats at short, medium, and long range across multiple frequencies.
Sylvain Perrier, RNSC Program Director for Naval Group, stated: "The highly capable Thales sonar suite was a key component of Naval Group's bid for this program and will make a significant contribution to the acoustic superiority of the Orka-class submarines. We know we can count on Thales to meet the demanding requirements of the COMMIT program and to work closely with Dutch industry on the RNSC program."
The RNSC program aligns with the Dutch government’s policy to support strategic national industries. Thales has strengthened its commitment to the Dutch naval defense ecosystem through partnerships, including a recent contract with Dutch company Optics11 to integrate its OptiArray technology into the passive towed-array sonar.
Sébastien Guérémy, Vice President of Underwater Systems at Thales, said: "We are proud that Thales's advanced sonar suite has been selected to equip the Royal Netherlands Navy's Orka-class submarines. This partnership will enhance the technological superiority of the Dutch armed forces and reflects our ongoing commitment to providing innovative, dependable solutions in support of allied nations' defense capabilities."