|
|
| a |
World
Naval Forces News - UK |
| |
|
| |
| |
| Thales
upgrades seventh Royal Navy frigate with Captas-4 S2087 towed Variable
Depth Sonar (VDS) |
| |
HMS
Kent, one of the Royal Navy’s (RN’s) most advanced Type
23 frigates, has been fitted with Thales UK’s Sonar 2087 system
as part of a multi-million pound upgrade to her systems and operational
capability. Kent now becomes the seventh Type 23 frigate to be upgraded
with the Sonar 2087 system.
Having entered dry dock in November 2010, Kent has now left the dockyard
fresh from a comprehensive upgrade to her systems and equipment, and
sailed under the famous Forth Bridges to begin her sea trials.
The ship has benefitted from a £24m overhaul of her hull,
upper deck and complex weapons systems. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)
says that the fitting of the new active towed-array sonar gives the
Type 23 frigate “phenomenal capability” and makes her a
“world-leading anti-submarine warfare platform”.
|
|
Thales CAPTAS-4 S2087 sonar as shown during DSEi 2011
|
|
This type of frigate can also carry the Merlin helicopter,
which is fitted with the Thales FLASH dipping sonar. The combination
of 2087 and FLASH makes the Type 23 a formidable anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) platform.
Sonar 2087 is a towed-array system that enables Type 23 frigates to
hunt the latest submarines at considerable distances and locate them
beyond the range from which they can launch an attack.
The system is a low-frequency active sonar, consisting of both active
and passive sonar arrays. The system is manufactured at Thales’s
sites in Cheadle Heath in Manchester and Templecombe in Somerset in
the UK, and in Brest, France.
Training at sea will see Kent conduct many inspections, exercises and
trials off the east coast of Scotland.
Speaking of the trials, the ship’s commanding officer, Commander
Ben Ripley, says: “HMS Kent will emerge as one of the most capable
anti-submarine warfare frigates in the world, and today is our first
step in realising this goal.”
John Pollard, Capability Manager for Sonar Systems at the MoD’s
Defence Equipment & Support facility, says: “Recent operational
deployments using Sonar 2087 against actual ‘threat platforms’
continue to show this to be a very capable ASW system, giving these
platforms a significant capability enhancement.”
“HMS Kent will soon enter service alongside the other six Sonar
2087-fitted platforms further extending the Royal Navy’s ASW capability.”
|
