Ultra Maritime sonobuoy receivers deliver real-time acoustic data processing, enhancing anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance capabilities.
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.
London, UK – Ultra Maritime will present during two forums in the Naval Pavilion at DSEI in September. With the defense landscape quickly shifting and agility becoming a key component of innovation, Ultra Maritime is proud to showcase thought-leadership in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and the future needs of a hybrid fleet, as well as exploring how the Ministry of Defence and allied nations are growing industrial capacity to meet market demands.
Tuesday, September 9 from 15:00-15:50
Silent Battles, Hybrid Fleets: The Autonomous Future of Anti-Submarine Warfare and How We Get There
Bill Biggs, in his role as Senior Consultant for Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), will moderate this panel around the need to exploit novel ASW solutions as enemy submarines proliferate and grow quieter, and international waters become more contested. The modern ASW challenge requires many modalities of sensing and communications, and solutions must unite existing and next-generation capabilities while leveraging both manned and unmanned platforms rapidly and at scale. Joining this discussion are experts Carlo Zaffanella, President and CEO of Ultra Maritime, Dr. Shane Arnott, Senior Vice President of Programs and Engineering at Anduril Industries, and Dr. Stephen Tripp, Director of Future Capabilities and International Strategy at General Atomics.
Wednesday, September 10 from 15:00-15:50
Building Factories, Building Deterrents
Elizabeth Baker, Vice President of International Business Development at Ultra Maritime, will host this discussion around rapidly regenerating defense industrial capacity as adversaries grow more intelligent and capable and the threat to global supply chains becomes more concerning. In response to the UK Strategic Defence Review promising a new partnership with industry and procurement reforms, this discussion will examine what changes are necessary to make this possible at pace and how allies can work together through the transfer of technology to support one another’s ambitions. The experts for this discussion will include Rex Cox, former CEO of the National Shipbuilding Office, and now Trials and Acceptance Director at Babock International, Ian Wilcox, Head of Science and Technology Delivery at DSTL, Cmde Madhavarao, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), and Col Rob Tyler, Director Air Requirements, Royal Canadian Air Force.
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.
COLUMBIA CITY, Indiana – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and Ultra Maritime are proud to announce a strategic partnership to substantially advance the state of the art in unmanned airborne detection and tracking of enemy submarines. By combining the world’s most advanced and prolific unmanned aerial system (UAS), GA-ASI’s MQ-9B SeaGuardian®, with the world’s only miniaturized, low power sonobuoys and receivers, the strategic partnership will make it possible for the U.S. and its allies to use sophisticated techniques to track submarines in hostile, GPS-denied environments.
As adversary submarines proliferate and become stealthier, unmanned underwater vehicles grow in number and GPS jamming becomes more prevalent, the need for assured and affordable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) solutions is more critical than ever. While unmanned technologies are the clear best solution to this challenge, limitations to date in suitable ASW technologies have prevented real world solutions from emerging. This strategic partnership will provide a significant new capability where small form factor sonobuoys and receivers, aboard a long-range unmanned aircraft, can provide autonomous, low cost ASW in a GPS-denied environment.
The GA-ASI MQ-9B SeaGuardian provides unmatched multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting (ISR&T). GA-ASI will integrate the MQ-9B SeaGuardian with Ultra Maritime’s exclusive small form factor (half size) sonobuoys to double UAS capacity. These sonobuoys will provide Multi-static Active (MSA) capabilities achieving unprecedented wide-area search. Furthermore, Ultra Maritime’s new acoustic receivers will be half the traditional size, making them ideal for UAS deployment. The receivers will enable more effective ASW in GPS-denied environments and will monitor more sonobuoys per MQ-9B mission through advanced communications technology. The solution is fully funded by internal research and development, and an integrated operational demonstration of this capability will occur in the Indo Pacific and other theaters beginning in 2025.
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.”
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.
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.”