Italian Minehunters To Get British Sonar System
LONDON - The Italian Navy is to upgrade it's fleet of minehunting vessels with a Thales UK-developed sonar system. The deal is part of a wider midlife update of Gaeta-class vessels being undertaken by local shipbuilder Intermarine.
Thales UK said it signed a contract with Intermarine Nov. 18 to supply its Sonar 2093 for eight of the Italian minehunters. The deal is worth around 100 million pounds ($165.7 million).
Sonar 2093 is a variable-depth system designed for the detection and classification of bottom and moored mines. The system is in service with the U.K. Royal Navy's Sandown-class mine countermeasures fleet.
Ed Lowe, the managing director of Thales UK's naval business, said the deal will bring the number of systems in service around the world to 50.
"It's a major boost in our drive to achieve more export business," he said.
Mine countermeasures export customers secured by the Thales Group over the past two years include India, Norway, Lithuania and Singapore. The deals cover fitting command-and-control equipment, reactivation programs, supply of sonars and other products.
Intermarine signed the Gaeta-class midlife technology update deal in August. The yard originally delivered the warships to the Italian Navy between 1992 and 1996.
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