Ultra Maritime | Maritime Defense Systems

Category: Contracts & Awards

Access official press releases issued by Ultra Maritime for media, partners, and industry stakeholders. These formal statements announce significant company developments, contracts, leadership changes, and strategic initiatives.

Ultra Maritime Awarded CA$89 Million Contract for Surface Ship Torpedo Defense for the River-Class Destroyer Program

Posted on by Heather Shoup

DARTMOUTH, Canada – Ultra Maritime received a CA$89 million contract from Lockheed Martin Canada, Inc. to supply three shipsets of Surface Ship Torpedo Defense (SSTD) for the River-class destroyer (RCD) program.

SSTD provides a proven world class full ‘sense to effect’ torpedo defense capability in-service across the globe, relied upon by many navies to keep their ships and crews safe from the torpedo threat. The combination of a single in-line tow and automatic threat alerting provides unparalleled performance within a small ship footprint, maintaining a high probability of detection coupled with low false alarm rate whilst minimizing overall operator workload.

Ultra Maritime has more than 20 years of experience in this domain and is the trusted partner and world leader in providing torpedo defense solutions and countermeasures for both surface ships and submarines. With torpedo defense systems deployed and supported globally, including more than 30,000 expendable countermeasures, Ultra Maritime is uniquely positioned to bring integrated torpedo defense to the world’s navies. Integrated torpedo defense greatly enhances the protection of our navies through integrating expendable countermeasures, towed countermeasures and threat detection sensors to provide overall situational awareness and shorten the kill chain against torpedo threats. Ultra Maritime continues to invest to improve this capability and are proud to partner with Lockheed Martin Canada and the Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) to provide SSTD to the Royal Canadian Navy River-class.

“Having previously secured a three shipset production order to supply Hull Mounted Sonars (HMS) for the RCD program, as well as supplying twelve UWSU towed arrays into the Halifax-class, Ultra Maritime is pleased to play a pivotal role in delivering state-of-the-art Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capabilities to the Royal Canadian Navy,” said John Gallagher, Vice President and General Manager of Ultra Maritime Canada. “We are fully committed in our partnership with Lockheed Martin Canada, our Canadian workforce and suppliers. More importantly, we are proud to serve the Royal Canadian Navy and take great pride in providing our life-saving capabilities.”

Steve Rogers, Senior Director of RCD Programs at Ultra Maritime, commented, “This is excellent news for the team as we move into 2025. We are well placed to execute the SSTD program utilizing expertise across our global Ultra Maritime lines of business, led by the team here in Dartmouth.”

The RCD program and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s (ISED) Industrial Technological Benefits (ITB) policy have played a pivotal role for Ultra Maritime to establish an ASW Center of Excellence in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. It is a prime example of fostering economic growth and technological innovation in Canada. Ultra Maritime has made more than $20 million in capital investments that have created more than 150 high-value manufacturing jobs and supported a vast network of suppliers, including numerous small and medium-sized businesses.

Ultra Maritime Receives £18 Million Contract for Sonobuoys from the UK Ministry of Defence

Posted on by Heather Shoup

GREENFORD, UK– Ultra Maritime announces an £18 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to supply sonobuoys to the Royal Navy’s Merlin Maritime Patrol Helicopter. Sonobuoys are a critical element of the UK’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability, delivering undersea domain awareness and enabling the Royal Navy to protect UK home waters, the UK’s Continuous at Sea Deterrent and the Carrier Strike Group.  

The contract for sonobuoy engineering, manufacturing, logistics and support awarded to Ultra Maritime ensures the Royal Navy maintains a persistent ASW surveillance capability detecting, locating and tracking hostile submarines, and signifies the Royal Navy’s confidence in Ultra Maritime for this critical capability. 

“Ultra Maritime’s support to the Royal Navy’s critical mission is at the heart of our business as the world’s leading provider of sonobuoy and ASW solutions,” said Wayne Clifton, Vice President and General Manager of Ultra Maritime UK. “This investment by the MoD enables the UK’s armed forces to deal with modern and evolving submarine threats. Ultra Maritime is investing in a new state-of-the-art facility which will enable the production of sonobuoys to be scaled when required, whilst also allowing for further ASW capabilities to be manufactured and supported.”

Ultra Maritime is continuing to work closely with the UK MoD on the design of miniature sonobuoys for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platforms, signifying a commitment to a long-term partnership with Ultra Maritime for the supply of this essential capability.

Ultra Maritime is investing significantly in UK infrastructure and jobs to support the Royal Navy’s ongoing needs, and this contract will result in the creation of new high skilled roles in Ultra Maritime’s London-based facilities. 

 

Ultra Maritime Signs Contract for Co-Production of U.S. Sonobuoys in India

Posted on by Heather Shoup

The initial contract between Ultra Maritime and Bharat Dynamics Limited supports production planning at Bharat Dynamics’ Visakhapatnam facility.

COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – The contract between Ultra Maritime and Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) signifies a concrete step forward in the co-production of U.S. sonobuoys in India, an initiative first announced by the White House in January of this year. Ultra Maritime and BDL have signed a Production Planning contract which will kick start the transfer of technology from the U.S. to India of U.S.-specification sonobuoys for use on India’s Maritime Patrol Aircraft, the P-8I, MH-60R and MQ-9B Sea Guardian platforms.

The work between the two companies is already well underway. BDL has made significant investments at its site in Visakhapatnam, with production and testing halls ready for the new lines. This initial contract will fund the two companies’ discussions on potential supply chain partners, requirements for production equipment, optimal production line layouts, testing processes and quality control.

Ultra Maritime, a world-leader in the design and production of undersea warfare capabilities, has partnered with BDL to supply and manufacture sonobuoys for the Indian Navy to U.S. Navy standards, with production split across the U.S. and India, in accordance with ‘Make in India’ principles. This first-of-its-kind partnership will enhance undersea domain awareness efforts for both navies, in support of the U.S.-India Bilateral Undersea Domain Awareness initiative. Production will start in 2027.

Combining Ultra Maritime’s U.S. technology and production expertise with BDL’s Indian manufacturing track record and supply chain reach shows how U.S. and Indian industry can team rapidly to respond to undersea threats in the Indo-Pacific region. Ultra Maritime’s new generation sonobuoys represent a step forward in the consistent, worldwide supply of Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities.

“We are proud to follow up on recent announcements to share that our first contract with BDL has been formalized. This step indicates the level of investment both parties are making to ensure timely delivery of world class sonobuoys, made in India,” said Ultra Maritime President and CEO, Carlo Zaffanella.   

“Bharat Dynamics Limited has signaled its intent to invest with Ultra Maritime in the signing of this contract. Not only have we prepared our site for new production lines, but the output of the Production Planning contract will give us greater confidence in building sonobuoys in India. BDL will continue to meet the operational demands of the Indian Navy while enhancing Indian self-reliance in defence capabilities,” added Chairman of BDL Commodore (ret) A. Madhavarao.

Ultra Maritime Receives $99 Million Other Transaction Agreement from U.S. Navy for Q53H Sonobuoys

Posted on by Heather Shoup

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. – Ultra Maritime has been awarded a Sole Source Firm Fixed Priced contract in the amount of $99,999,738.00 for the AN/SSQ-53H Sonobuoy Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the Navy in support of annual training, peacetime operations and testing expenditures, as well as, to maintain sufficient inventory to support the execution of major combat operations based on naval munitions requirements process.    

“With our LRIP award for the Q53 sonobuoys, we at Ultra Maritime are honored to play a pivotal role in advancing anti-submarine warfare capabilities for the U.S. Navy and our allied nations,” expressed Ed Cook, Vice President and General Manager of Ultra Maritime U.S. “Our dedicated team of engineers and manufacturing experts work tirelessly to rapidly design, test and deliver hundreds of thousands of sonobuoys annually, reinforcing naval defense operations globally. This commitment underscores our unwavering dedication to enhancing maritime security and safeguarding international waters.”

Ultra Maritime recently made the largest investment in company history for a more streamlined production capability and reliable delivery of these new sonobuoys. The company offers a full range of sonobuoys and is the only manufacturer of G size (half-size) buoys used internationally.

See Ultra Maritime’s full range of sonobuoys.

Ultra Maritime Receives $49 Million Other Transaction Agreement from U.S. Navy for Q62 Next Generation Sonobuoys Under the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium

Posted on by Heather Shoup

Ultra Maritime Receives $49 Million Other Transaction Agreement from U.S.
Navy for Q62G Sonobuoys under the Naval Aviation Systems Consortium

Ultra Maritime is the first and only qualified provider of the Q-62 and Q-53 sonobuoys.

COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – July 29, 2024 – Ultra Maritime has been awarded a Sole Sourced Firm Fixed Priced contract in the amount of $49,000,000.00 for the AN/SSQ-62G Sonobuoy Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) for the Navy in support of annual training, peacetime operations and testing expenditures, as well as to maintain sufficient inventory to support the execution of major combat operations based on naval munitions requirements process.

Ultra Maritime and UMS SKELDAR Receive a Contract to Evaluate UAS Based Anti-Submarine Warfare Solution

Posted on by Heather Shoup

Dartmouth, Canada: Ultra Maritime (Ultra) and UMS SKELDAR are pleased to announce that they have been awarded a 2nd Phase contract under the Department of National Defence’s (DND) Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program, which will explore the development of a Rotary Wing UAS to provide an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) sonobuoy dispensing capability, based on the SKELDAR V-200 Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS).

This innovative program will review how a medium-sized UAS can be used to deploy sonobuoys for the purpose of tracking potentially hostile submarines operating in the open ocean or close to coastal areas that could pose a threat to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) or other forces. Andrew Anderson, Chief Technology Officer, Ultra Sonar Systems, explains: “We are constantly reviewing new technologies to determine how they can be used to tackle the threat from hostile submarines. The scope of this program is to evaluate the technical and operational feasibility of deploying sonobuoys from a Class II Rotary Wing UAS, to provide the warfighter with another tool in the ASW toolbox.”

Richard Hjelmberg, Vice President Business Development for UMS SKELDAR, adds: “We are delighted to be a part of this contract with Ultra. Using Rotary Unmanned Aircraft Systems to help conduct ASW will provide many benefits, not least enabling rapid deployment capabilities, a smaller logistical footprint on Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ships and a cost-effective alternative to current methods. At UMS we are proud of our innovation leadership when it comes to advances in rotary-wing UAS platforms. Our SKELDAR V-200 platform is a prime example of this, with a capability of completing remote automatic flights, exceeding six-hour flight times thanks to the robust heavy fuel engine and the ability to provide a high degree of maintainability and minimum turn-around times. These credentials we believe are the perfect fit for this program.” The SKELDAR V-200 has advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities when equipped with multiple sensors. Flight times can exceed six hours, and the heavy-fuel engine combined with efficient maintenance procedures and ease of access to the engine compartment allow for highly efficient routine service processes.

Ultra Awarded MADOC Next Generation Sonobuoy Contract

Posted on by Heather Shoup

Columbia City, IN: Ultra Sonobuoy Systems (Ultra) has been selected as a qualified vendor for a Multiple Award Delivery Order Contract (MADOC). This contract will provide a vehicle for Ultra to supply the U.S. Navy (USN) with next-generation sonobuoys for the next five years.   The USN Navy purchases roughly $300 million a year in sonobuoys. Ultra is the world’s leader in providing more than 200,000 sonobuoys to the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other navies around the world.

Ultra has a well-established history of providing best-in-class sonobuoys to the USN and its international allies. This award reflects the USN’s continued trust in Ultras’ ability to continue to develop, produce and deliver world-class products that are used every day to ‘Find, Fix and Finish’ the threat. Ultra remains committed to reducing the cost of ‘washing water’ to the USN and its Allies across the entire anti-submarine warfare mission profiles.

Eric Webster, President of Ultra Sonobuoy Systems, commented: “We are very excited to be chosen by the U.S. Navy to provide next-generation sonobuoys to support the fleet. With conflicts increasing with our near-peer rivals, the importance of anti-submarine warfare and the need for greater quantities of increasingly more capable sonobuoys continues to grow. I am extremely proud of the Ultra team’s focus to deliver innovative solutions and ensure continuity of supply to the U.S. Navy.”

NAVAIR Public Release 2022-588 Distribution Statement A – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

Ultra Secures Follow-On Order for Canadian Surface Combatant Hull Mounted Sonar From Lockheed Martin Canada Inc.

Posted on by Heather Shoup

Dartmouth, Canada: Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems Inc (Ultra) has secured an initial three ship set production order from Lockheed Martin Canada Inc. (Lockheed) for the supply of Hull Mounted Sonars (HMS) for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) ship.  The latest order is valued at circa $19.5M and further supports manufacturing jobs at Ultra’s recently refurbished and expanded site located in Dartmouth, Halifax.  

The CSC program is the largest and most complex shipbuilding initiative in Canada since World War II. Revitalizing the Canadian shipbuilding industry, the project is sustaining and creating thousands of highly-skilled jobs and enables Canada to domestically support the combat ships once in service.  Lockheed Martin Canada holds the contract for the design and integration of the CSC Combat System with Ultra acting as the anti-submarine warfare lead, and supplying extensive capabilities, inclusive of the HMS.

Rikki Douglas, Vice President of Business Development, commented: “We are delighted to have secured the next phase of the CSC HMS contract on such an important program to Canada and we are fully committed, working closely with Lockheed Martin Canada, to deliver an exceptional sonar capability to the Royal Canadian Navy.”

Tom Graham, CSC Program Director, commented: “Ultra’s CSC team, based at the purpose built facility in Dartmouth, are well placed to execute the design, procurement, manufacture and supply of the HMS.  We remain excited to be part of the wider CSC program, delivering state of the art equipment to the next generation of Canadian warships.”