United Kingdom News Archives

Ultra Maritime Collaborates with University of Liverpool to Develop Artificial Intelligence for Passive Sonar

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London, U.K. – Ultra Maritime is pleased to announce a collaboration with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Distributed Algorithms at the University of Liverpool, a UK Research and Innovation funded programme. The research focuses on using machine learning to improve the tracking and detection of vessels using passive sonar, targeted at Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Torpedo Defence applications.

The initial work has shown promising results in improving the detection performance compared to traditional processing techniques, allowing Operators and Automatic Classifiers to extract signals from further into the noise as well as improving tracking performance.

“We are very excited to further develop our relationship with the University of Liverpool, who are recognized leaders in Autonomy and Distributed Algorithms,” said Andrew Anderson, Ultra Maritime Chief Technology Officer. “AI/ML technologies will provide disruptive benefits to many aspects of the ASW mission, and we are looking forward to rapidly transitioning this exciting research into Ultra Maritime’s portfolio of ASW and Torpedo Defense systems.”

Professor Simon Maskell, Director of the CDT at the University of Liverpool, commented: “The CDT seeks to train students to become future leaders with a valuable combination of skills that is otherwise hard to find in a single person. Indeed, we aim to help those students acquire a synergistic understanding of both next-generation AI/ML and future computing together with a well-honed ability to solve pressing real-world problems. It is a real pleasure to see one of those students capitalizing on the training environment provided by the CDT to work closely in partnership with Ultra Maritime to make a difference in this important context.”

Ultra Maritime prides itself on investing in the future of undersea warfare solutions for allied navies worldwide. This collaboration continues to build on those investments, providing next-generation, technologically advanced AI/ML solutions for maritime domain dominance.

Next Generation Sonobuoys - Ultra Maritime

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

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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. 

Esco Acquires SMaP

ESCO Technologies Acquires Ultra Maritime SMaP

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ESCO Technologies announced yesterday the acquisition of Ultra Maritime’s Signature Management and Power (SMaP) line of business. Ultra Maritime would like to recognize the SMaP team for their innovative work, unique expertise and dedication to meeting commitments. SMaP has become a recognized industry leader for some of the most mission-critical submarine and surface ship technologies in both the UK and U.S. Leadership at both ESCO and Ultra Maritime have remarked that the success of SMaP is due to the people who show up every day. As the process to final closing moves ahead, Ultra Maritime sends our sincere appreciation to the entire SMaP team for all they have done for our customers and business, and acknowledge their bright future delivering for customers’ missions as a key part of ESCO Technologies.

Read the full press release at
https://investor.escotechnologies.com/news-releases/news-release-details/esco-announces-acquisition-navy-supplier

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.