Australia News Archives

Ultra Maritime Leads the Future of Unmanned Anti-Submarine Warfare Solutions from the Air, Surface and Undersea

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The demand for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) has never been greater. Threat submarines proliferate and grow quieter. And international waters grow more contested.

Tackling the modern anti-submarine warfare problem requires many modalities of sensing and communication. Successful solutions must unite existing and next-generation capabilities while leveraging both manned and unmanned platforms rapidly and at scale. A distributed network across a hybrid fleet is essential to achieving maritime dominance while reducing the risk to expensive manned platforms, particularly in contested waters.  

As the leader in ASW innovation for global allied navies, Ultra Maritime recognizes the many challenges modern submarine threats pose and has invested in state-of-the-art technologies that make ASW possible across a hybrid fleet.

From the Air: Through a strategic partnership, Ultra Maritime has paired its new miniaturized receivers and half size sonobuoys, including multi-static active capabilities, with a specially adapted unmanned aerial system, allowing for double the search area and higher probability of detection.

From the Surface: The internally designed Ultra Maritime Mission Pod is a self-contained towed-array-in-a-box that provides modular capability to manned and unmanned surface ships. When deployed with a decoy array as part of a layered torpedo defense system, it can be integrated within a broader network of Ultra Maritime’s shipboard sensors, decoys and countermeasures for complete undersea situational awareness.

From Undersea: Ultra Maritime has developed Sea Spear, an entirely new ASW modality. Sea Spear is a fixed, clandestinely deployable, long endurance and attritable sonar array. Via a strategic partnership, Sea Spear deploys from unmanned underwater vehicles providing towed array-like sensitivity and detection using AI-enabled processing at the tactical edge.

At Ultra Maritime, we blend innovation and proven expertise to deliver the ASW solutions required for today’s threats and tomorrow’s advantage. What was once theoretical is now possible – Ultra Maritime is redefining the future of anti-submarine warfare.

Ultra Maritime Highlights Airborne Capabilities at the Avalon Australian International Airshow

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ADELAIDE, South Australia – The Avalon Australian International Airshow will provide the perfect backdrop for Ultra Maritime to showcase emerging and existing airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Electronic Warfare capabilities. Stop by the South Australia Defence Stand in Hall 3 at booth 3M25 to learn more about the following:

Next Generation Sonobuoys
Ultra Maritime’s next generation SSQ-53 and SSQ-62 sonobuoys are fully qualified per U.S. Navy standards and are currently used by allied navies globally. These new buoys are in production and Ultra Maritime is currently accepting orders for rapid delivery. With updated underlying technology and an improved supply chain, the company is positioned to provide sonobuoys at a production rate that meets the increasing global demand. While offering a full range of sonobuoys, Ultra Maritime is also the only manufacturer of G size sonobuoys (half-size) used internationally, as well as sonobuoy receivers.  

Electronic Warfare
Avalon 2025 will also provide an opportunity for Ultra Maritime to showcase its Electronic Warfare (EW) Systems which are in service in the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and Royal Australia Airforce (RAAF). These capabilities enable informed critical decision-making in the ever evolving and increasingly complex electromagnetic threat landscape.

Unmanned System Payloads
Ultra Maritime continues to invest in next-generation Electronic Warfare capability based upon the proven and in-service digital receiver systems and has scaled this capability for use on small, unmanned platforms. This provides an ability to share data across both manned and unmanned networks while providing search, collection and other classified mission capabilities.

“Ultra Maritime is committed to supplying the very best sonobuoy capability to deliver world-class undersea warfare solutions,” said Mark Potter, Vice President and General Manager of Ultra Maritime Australia. “Our expertise in sonar, radar and electronic warfare, and torpedo defense will provide best-in-class capabilities within the maritime domain and position the business well to support the AUKUS pillars.”

Ultra Maritime Australia to Provide World Leading Sonar on Hunter Class Frigates

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ADELAIDE, South Australia – The Royal Australian Navy’s Hunter class frigates will be fitted with Ultra Maritime’s world-leading 2150 Bow Sonar under a contract with BAE Systems Maritime Australia (BAESMA). The delivery of the 2150 Bow Sonar will expand Australian sovereign undersea warfare capabilities, providing active and passive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) modes, mine and obstacle avoidance sonar, integrated underwater communications, and automated torpedo detection, classification and localization.

“Ultra Maritime is committed to building a strategic partnership with the Commonwealth of Australia, as we continue to invest and grow our support to the Royal Australian Navy fleet with delivery of world-class undersea warfare solutions,” said Mark Potter, Vice President and General Manager of Ultra Maritime Australia. “Our expertise in sonar, radar and electronic warfare, and torpedo defense will provide best-in-class capabilities within the maritime domain.”

Ultra Maritime has operated in Australia for more than 15 years, expanding from its indigenous electronic warfare capability to establish a sovereign sonar sustainment solution to support its Integrated Sonar System (ISS), as installed on the Hobart class air warfare destroyers (DDG). As Ultra Maritime’s Australian workforce continues to grow, we will continue to work closely with local industry to further maximize opportunities for Australian industry to assist with the Bow Sonar capability.

MADOC sonobuoy contract

Ultra Awarded MADOC Next Generation Sonobuoy Contract

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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.