Operations News Archives

Ultra Maritime’s Landmark Investments Produce Industry-Leading Critical Capabilities for the U.S. Navy and its Allies

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COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – Ultra Maritime continues to expand its market-leading, large-scale supply of essential expendables to the U.S. Navy and its allies in support of advancements of critical munitions requirements for the war stock inventory. With state-of-the-art sonobuoy technology, Ultra Maritime is not only pacing the evolving global threat environment but also reinforcing the industrial base.

Ultra Maritime has made landmark investments in new technologies, new factories and an expanded supply base. One of the new buoys now in full production is the SSQ-62G. This world-leading, U.S.-specification sonobuoy is widely exported to allied nations, with up to 20 countries currently procuring or expected to procure this buoy in the near future. Read about a recent award from the U.S. Navy here.

To meet the surging production capacity for the unprecedented quantity of sonobuoy awards, Ultra Maritime recognizes the essential role of supply chain resilience to deliver these critical products on schedule and at volume. The company’s comprehensive sourcing strategies, aggressive affordability initiatives and alignment with more than 150 trusted suppliers has created a competitive edge that supports national security and economic vitality. Ultra Maritime boasts a supply base that includes partners in 24 states across the U.S. with more than 70% being small businesses.

With increased production in its cutting-edge Columbia City factory and an expanded supply base, Ultra Maritime is proudly creating hundreds of jobs in Northeast Indiana and around the country.

Ultra Maritime Receives Delivery Order Under Fair Opportunities Procedures U.S. Navy for SSQ-62G Sonobuoys

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COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – Ultra Maritime has been awarded a Firm Fixed Priced Delivery Order under Fair Opportunities procedures for the SSQ-62G production for the Navy in support of annual training, peacetime operations and testing expenditures, to maintain sufficient inventory to support the execution of major combat operations based on naval munitions requirements process.

“Ultra Maritime’s workforce is the backbone of our success, and we are proud to foster a strong community of dedicated and talented employees who are driving sonobuoy technology and ensuring availability, quality and cost alignment for our suppliers and customers,” said Gabe Kopin, Vice President and General Manager of the Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) line of business at Ultra Maritime. “We have developed a factory capable of meeting the demand for the most advanced detection capabilities that ensure the safety of our sailors across the globe during a time when threats are proliferating.”

Ultra Maritime has made significant investments towards creating the factory of the future with streamlined capability, configured specifically for sonobuoy production and delivery. With operations in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, Ultra Maritime provides advanced ASW solutions from the air, the surface and undersea, in support of international allies worldwide.

Ultra Maritime Features Anti-Submarine Warfare Capabilities Across the Air, Surface and Undersea for Unmanned and Hybrid Fleets at DSEI 2025

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As submarine and autonomous threats increase, the need for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) across all domains has never been greater. Ultra Maritime will present its full portfolio of world leading ASW technology from the air, surface and undersea for unmanned and hybrid fleets at DSEI 2025 from Sept. 9-12 in London. Senior leaders will also be on hand to present on two panels during the show.

The following is a selection of what will be highlighted at booth #A-340 in the Naval Forum:

Sea Spear – One-of-a-Kind Lightweight Deployable Sonar
Sea Spear was introduced to the world earlier this year and is being used as part of a strategic partnership with Anduril’s Seabed Sentry to communicate critical subsea information in real time. Ultra Maritime’s Sea Spear is a first-of-its-kind lightweight deployable sonar system that enhances submarine detection capabilities rapidly and inexpensively. Sea Spear provides a solution for long endurance and long-range surveillance capability during a time when submarine detection and tracking matters more than ever. Deployable from manned or unmanned surface and underwater platforms, the 21-inch diameter unit expands to create a high-performance, wide-aperture array. Already well into its development phase and in-water testing, a full operational demonstration will occur by the end of 2025.

Next Generation Sonobuoys
Ultra Maritime has begun delivery on its next generation sonobuoys, which will revolutionize submarine detection technology with unprecedented predictability and detection capabilities, including enhanced battery technology that extends the operational lifespan of active buoys. This breakthrough provides allied navies with a critical edge in undersea warfare, elevating defense operations to a new level of performance. With significant investments in technology and infrastructure, Ultra Maritime has recently opened its new Greenford-London facility, configured specifically for the development and production of sonobuoys and sonar products to achieve reliable delivery and meet production demand of the global market.

Ultra Maritime Mission Pod – Containerized ASW
The Ultra Maritime Mission Pod is an extensive advancement in towed array packaging technology that enables smaller manned and unmanned surface vessels to greatly increase their ASW capabilities. This game-changing system houses and deploys towed arrays from a 20-foot ISO container, achieving a genuine modular, flexible and scalable solution for any Navy. The Ultra Maritime Mission Pod allows for ASW capabilities without the need for traditional, large, expensive manned surface combatant platforms.

Surface Ship Torpedo Defense
Ultra Maritime has made significant investment towards creating a complete layered torpedo defense solution comprised of multiple strategies and systems working together to detect and neutralize incoming torpedo threats. This next generation torpedo defense capability combines expendable countermeasures, both soft and hard kill, with towed detection and countermeasures, ensuring the safety of naval vessels from torpedo attacks. This integrated approach to torpedo defense is critical to address the growing submarine threat by significantly improving our survivability and drastically shortening the kill chain for an inbound threat.

Ultra Maritime Opens London Facility Dedicated to Bringing Anti-Submarine Warfare Solutions to Global Allied Navies

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London, UK – Today, Ultra Maritime officially opened its new integrated design and manufacturing center in London – Greenford, UK, hosting the right honourable Maria Eagle MP for a ribbon cutting ceremony and tour. Located just 10 miles west of central London, the new facility replaces the previous nearby location with a custom-designed, modern and streamlined work site for Ultra Maritime’s UK anti-submarine warfare (ASW) team.

This new facility demonstrates Ultra Maritime’s commitment and readiness to support the indigenous manufacturing goals of the UK Ministry of Defence, as well as a strong pivot towards anti-submarine warfare capabilities, recently laid out in the UK Strategic Defence Review. With more than 5600 square meters of office space, labs and a manufacturing production floor, Ultra Maritime currently has more than 130 employees on site with plans to expand by at least 50 more employees near term, and further expansion well into the future.

Ultra Maritime has been executing a long-term strategic investment plan, entirely with internal funding, to upgrade or renovate its sites across the UK, U.S., Canada and Australia, while similarly investing in novel, modern, high-tech ASW capabilities built at these facilities. From the latest generation of sonobuoys to entirely new modalities of unmanned ASW, like the Ultra Maritime Mission Pod and Sea Spear in partnership with Anduril, Ultra Maritime is leading the way in creating ASW solutions of the future.

Ultra Maritime Injecting Autonomous Undersea Capabilities into Next-Generation Torpedo Countermeasure Solutions for Future Anti-Submarine Warfare Dominance

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BRAINTREE, Massachusetts – Ultra Maritime continues to advance its investment in the development of cutting-edge Next Generation Countermeasure systems — revolutionary autonomous undersea vehicles designed specifically as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) solution.

These vehicles, both internally and externally launchable from submarines and unmanned undersea vehicles (UUVs), are engineered for independent operation. Once deployed, they maneuver away from the host platform to deliver real-time tactical updates and enhanced maritime domain awareness through robust acoustic communications.

As adversary undersea threats continue to evolve in capability, countermeasure systems must adapt to keep pace with both current and emerging challenges. To effectively counter these threats, traditional approaches alone are no longer sufficient — countermeasures must advance in sophistication, autonomy and adaptability. There is now a powerful convergence of technologies: torpedo countermeasures and UUVs, themselves. This convergence represents the next phase of ASW, where countermeasure systems integrate autonomous mobility, intelligent sensing and defensive effectors to provide a resilient, layered defense against evolving torpedo threats.

Recently, Ultra Maritime proved its capability in developing a full-duplex acoustic communication node, enabling secure, two-way information exchange between manned and unmanned platforms across the maritime battlespace. This capability enhances coordination and dramatically improves platform survivability in contested and high-threat environments.

Ultra Maritime has delivered more than 30,000 expendable torpedo countermeasures across a diverse portfolio of designs, reinforcing its position as the global leader in torpedo defense solutions.

Ultra Maritime Receives Competitive Delivery Order Under Fair Opportunities Procedures U.S. Navy for SSQ-53H Sonobuoys

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COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – Ultra Maritime has been awarded a Firm Fixed Priced Competitive Delivery Order under Fair Opportunities procedures for the SSQ-53H production for the Navy in support of annual training, peacetime operations and testing expenditures, to maintain sufficient inventory to support the execution of major combat operations based on naval munitions requirements process.

“Ultra Maritime takes great pride in playing a pivotal role in advancing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and ensuring the safety of our sailors worldwide,” said Carlo Zaffanella, Ultra Maritime President & CEO. “We are dedicated to making great leaps in acoustic technology, providing the most advanced submarine detection capabilities during a time when threats are rapidly appearing around the globe.”

Ultra Maritime has made significant investments towards creating the factory of the future with streamlined capability and configured specifically for sonobuoy production and delivery. With operations in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia, Ultra Maritime provides advanced ASW solutions in support of international allies across the globe. 

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.

Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jordan Jennings

Ultra Maritime Receives $420 Million Award for Next Generation Surface Search Radar

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Braintree, Mass. – The U.S. Navy awarded Ultra Maritime a $420 million firm-fixed-price contract for production of AN/SPS-73(V) 18 Next Generation Surface Search Radar systems, with an initial value of $84 million. Work will be performed in Braintree, Massachusetts (73%); Wake Forest, North Carolina (17%); and Chantilly, Virginia (10%), and is expected to be completed by August 2027. If all options are exercised, work will continue through September 2031.

Click here for the official DoD award announcement.

Next Generation Sonobuoys - Ultra Maritime

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

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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.

Next Generation Sonobuoys - Ultra Maritime

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

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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.