Media Center News Archives

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

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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 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.

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. 

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

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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 Highlights Next Generation Naval Warfare Capabilities at AFCEA WEST 2025

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Ultra Maritime is showcasing a wide range of emerging and existing acoustic, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), unmanned maritime and radar capabilities at this week’s AFCEA WEST conference in San Diego, California. Innovation leadership and engineers from our U.S., UK and Canadian teams will be present for detailed discussions, presentations and hands-on examples of our game-changing capabilities, including:

Next Generation Sonobuoys

Ultra Maritime’s next generation SSQ-53, SSQ-62 and SSQ-36 sonobuoys are fully qualified per U.S. Navy standards. By updating the underlying technologies and improving the supply chain base, Ultra Maritime 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 sonobuoys used internationally, as well as sonobuoy receivers. This unique position allows Ultra Maritime to upgrade technologies on both sides of the sonobuoy to receiver link, enabling rapid deployment of technology upgrades such as improved protection for encrypted data links and increased number of data channels.

Acoustic Sensors

Ultra Maritime’s acoustic sensors provide integrated technologies and tactics to dominate the undersea domain. These systems can operate remotely, independently and persistently, with or without manned platforms, allowing our payloads to remain on station performing the critical ASW mission in the harshest environments.

Ultra Maritime Mission Pod – Containerized ASW

The Ultra Maritime Mission Pod design deploys their family of towed arrays, both ASW and torpedo defense, from the same winch and deployment system. This innovative automation and packaging technology make it possible to house and deploy various towed arrays from a 20-foot ISO container, enabling smaller manned and unmanned surface vessels to dramatically increase their anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

Surface Ship Torpedo Defense

Ultra Maritime is the global leader in providing torpedo defense solutions for allied navies. We are developing a first-of-its-kind layered torpedo defense, with both soft and hard kill capabilities. This next generation of torpedo defense is comprised of multiple strategies and systems working together to detect and neutralize incoming torpedo threats, ensuring the safety of naval vessels from torpedo attacks.

Unmanned System Payloads

Ultra Maritime will feature its solution for a small form factor radar that is for use on small or unmanned platforms based upon the proven and mature Next Generation Surface Search Radar (NGSSR). This radar solution will provide the ability for these vessels to share data across both manned and unmanned networks while providing surface search and other restricted mission capabilities.

Next Generation Surface Ship Radar

Next Generation Surface Search Radar (NGSSR) is the Navy’s first multi-mission navigation radar that enhances warfighting capabilities and safety of navigation. This radar can be reconfigured through software updates and is designed to support combat systems, surface search, safety of navigation, periscope detection and restricted missions. Ultra Maritime will highlight the enhanced capabilities on the horizon, to include modernized Periscope Detection and Discrimination (PDD).

Ultra Maritime Announces Modular, Automated, Containerized Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Pod for Small Combatants and Autonomous Vessels

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ARLINGTON, Virginia – Ultra Maritime proudly announces a substantial advancement in towed array packaging technology that will enable smaller manned and unmanned surface vessels to greatly increase their anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. Following several years of internal investment and building on a rich legacy of sonar capabilities, the new Ultra Maritime Mission Pod has now cleared its Critical Design Review (CDR) and is being actively bid into worldwide opportunities. Visit the Ultra Maritime booth #1018 at the Surface Navy Association’s National Symposium this week to learn more.

This innovative design deploys Ultra Maritime’s family of towed arrays from the same winch and deployment system. The Mission Pod is a leapfrog in automation and packaging technology, making it possible to house and deploy those arrays from a 20-foot ISO container, thereby achieving genuine modularity of design where a towed array can be used as a roll-on, roll-off asset. This allows for ASW capabilities without the need for traditional large, expensive manned surface combatant platforms.

“The 20-foot containerized Mission Pod will play a significant role in countering both the North Atlantic and Western Pacific submarine threats, as well as other areas of operation, with an automated, flexible and scalable solution for any Navy,” said Carlo Zaffanella, President and CEO of Ultra Maritime. “With the significant cost of major combatants and the requisite large crews to man them, Ultra Maritime’s Mission Pod provides an affordable, distributed ASW capability that can be deployed on smaller, less expensive manned and unmanned ships.”

The Mission Pod is designed to meet NATO-ANEP 91 and 99, as well as relevant Det Norske Veria (DNV) interchangeability standards. The Mission Pod is designed for installation on current and future surface combatants, vessels of opportunity and unmanned platforms.

Ultra Maritime SNA 2025 Invite

Ultra Maritime Showcases Future Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities at the Surface Navy Association’s 2025 National Symposium

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Ultra Maritime is showcasing a wide range of emerging and existing anti-submarine warfare capabilities and other technologies for attendees at this week’s Surface Navy Association’s 2025 National Symposium in Arlington, Virginia.

Portfolio highlights will include the following capabilities:

Surface Ship Torpedo Defense

Experts will be on hand to discuss next generation torpedo defense, an area in which Ultra Maritime has invested to bring forward a first-of-its-kind layered torpedo defense with both soft and hard kill abilities. This solution is comprised of multiple strategies and systems working together to detect and neutralize incoming torpedo threats, ensuring the safety of naval vessels from torpedo attacks.

Acoustic Sensors

Ultra Maritime’s acoustic sensors provide integrated technologies and tactics to dominate the undersea domain. These systems can operate remotely, independently and persistently, with or without manned platforms, allowing our payloads to remain on station performing the critical ASW mission in the harshest environments.

Unmanned System Payloads

Ultra Maritime will feature its investment in next-generation navigational radar by way of a small form factor radar solution. Based upon the proven and mature Next Generation Surface Search Radar (NGSSR), Ultra Maritime has scaled this radar for use on small, unmanned platforms, giving the ability to share data across both manned and unmanned networks, while providing surface search and other classified mission capabilities.

Next Generation Surface Search Radar

Next Generation Surface Search Radar (NGSSR) is the Navy’s first multi-mission navigation radar that enhances warfighting capabilities and safety of navigation. This radar can be reconfigured through software updates and is designed to support combat systems, surface search, safety of navigation and periscope detection. Ultra Maritime will highlight the enhanced capabilities on the horizon, to include modernized Periscope Detection and Discrimination (PDD), improved Fault Detection Fault Isolation (FDFI) to improve maintainability, integration with combat systems and Advanced Training Domain (ATD). 

WHEN: Jan. 14-16, 2025

WHERE: Booth 1018, Hyatt Regency Cystal City

MEDIA CONTACT: Danielle Vencak, danielle.vencak@umaritime.com

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Announces First-of-Its-Kind Partnership between Ultra Maritime and Bharat Dynamics Limited on the Co-Production of U.S. Sonobuoys

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COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. – During a visit to Delhi, India, on Jan. 6, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan shared news that the White House is “welcoming a new initiative between Ultra Maritime and Bharat Dynamics Limited that will enhance undersea domain awareness through a first-of-its-kind partnership on the co-production of U.S. sonobuoys.”

Ultra Maritime, a U.S.-based world-leader in the design and production of undersea warfare capabilities, has partnered with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), an Indian Defence Public Sector Undertaking, 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.

In line with the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) launched in May 2022, the Ultra Maritime and BDL teams will also pursue new sonobuoy technologies to optimize their acoustic performance in the unique environment of the Indian Ocean, enabling wide area search through bespoke multi-static active solutions.

“The announcement today by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reflects Ultra Maritime’s commitment to the Indian Navy in partnering with Bharat Dynamics Limited for production and delivery of world-class sonobuoys, and our resolute commitment to continue to develop forward leaning solutions to unique undersea challenges,” said Ultra Maritime CEO Carlo Zaffanella.

“Bharat Dynamics Limited is completely aligned with the Indian Navy to meet the operational demand for Make in India sonobuoys and is committed to standing up joint production with Ultra Maritime in Vishakhapatnam,” added Chairman of BDL Commodore (ret) A. Madhavarao. “This initiative highlights the strategic importance of U.S.-Indian defense industry cooperation and our ability to jointly move forward with urgency to enhance global security.”

“Having experienced the Indian Navy’s Anti-Submarine Warfare prowess firsthand during Indian Malabar naval exercises in the past, it is an honor today to support both the U.S. Navy and Indian Navy in maintaining Undersea Domian Awareness in the Indian Ocean theater through the Make in India sonobuoy initiative,” said Rear Admiral USN (ret) Mark Kenny, Ultra Maritime Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Development. “The Ultra Maritime sonobuoys co-produced in India are interchangeable and interoperable between U.S. Navy, Indian Navy and allied P-8, MH-60R and the MQ-9B Sea Guardian aircraft.”