Ultra has announced a contract award to commence work on the Variable Depth Sonar (VDS) system for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program – named the Towed Low Frequency Active Sonar (TLFAS).
The subcontract moves the development of CSC’s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability from the program definition phase into the full manufacture and delivery of the vessels suite of sonars.
The TLFAS system is designed and manufactured by Ultra in Nova Scotia.
In the two years since having been originally awarded program definition studies for CSC, Ultra’s Canadian team has grown by over 150 employees, with another 80 roles expected to be made available in 2021.
“Ultra recognizes our responsibility to provide, through CSC, the highest possible level of ASW capability to the Royal Canadian Navy,” Bernard Mills, President of Ultra Maritime Sonar Systems, said. “We are therefore immensely proud of this contract award.”
“As we work to build the future fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, we are pleased to see companies like Ultra stepping up to provide leading-edge technology for our shipbuilding projects,” Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, said. “The National Shipbuilding Strategy continues to provide opportunities for Canadian businesses of all sizes, from coast to coast to coast.”
The Canadian Surface Combatant is based on the Type 26 design that was also chosen for the Australian Hunter class frigate program. 32 ships of the BAE Systems base design are on order across three of the Five Eyes navies.