News Report: Indian Navy Looks to Buy Subsurface Vessels to Detect Undersea Threat

In the absence of the required number of minesweepers, the Indian Navy has started the process to procure remote-controlled portable underwater vessels to conduct explosive ordnance disposal operations in harbors and sea water up to 75 meters depth.

New Delhi (Sputnik) – Indian Navy wants three variants of the underwater vessel namely for detection/inspection, combat and training role. In fact, the Navy will purchase five underwater vehicles which may go up later. The purchase order is expected to be approximately $95 million: half of the total deal amount has to be invested in India under an offset clause of India’s Defense Procurement Policy 2016.

The GPS and inertial navigation system-enabled, 360-degrees maneuverable portable automatic underwater vehicles (PAUV) would be self-propelled using horizontal and vertical thrusters and onboard chargeable battery pack. The Navy wants PAUV to be deployable in rigid-hulled inflatable boats, inflatable crafts, and helicopters. An Indian Navy document demands two hours endurance capacity of the PAUV which can be controllable at a speed of five knots.

Industry: Thales to upgrade Collins submarine with latest generation sonar systems

Royal Australian Navy Collins class Submarine

Thales has signed a design and pre-production contract to upgrade Australia’s Collins class submarine sonar systems, enhancing their capability to outperform the most advanced underwater threats in an increasingly complex environment.

• Maintain Royal Australian Navy’s operational edge in the region and contribute to Australian sovereignty
• Better detection of evolving underwater threats and upgrades to cylindrical and flank arrays, as well as on-board processing
• Benefits of multi-decade investment in Australian innovation

As Australia’s leading provider of sonar technologies, Thales will build on its local and international expertise to prepare for upgrades to the submarines’ cylindrical array, flank array, and on-board processing to maintain Royal Australian Navy superiority in the region.

Benefitting from a multi-decade investment in Australian innovation, Thales will utilise some of the latest developments in underwater sensing to replace the Collins arrays, which have not been upgraded since first entering service in the mid-1990s.

AUS: Thales Australia Awarded Collins Sonar Upgrade Design

The Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced that Thales Australia has been awarded a $100 million contract  to design a major sonar system upgrade for Collins class submarines.

Minister Pyne said Thales Australia will engage other Australian-based companies including Sonartech Atlas and L3 Oceania, as well as suppliers from the United Kingdom (UK) and France to design the Collins sonar system upgrade.

“The sonar system upgrade will install improved sonar sensor arrays aboard each of the Collins submarines, as well as improved signal processing systems,” Minister Pyne said.

“Under the contract Australian industry will play a key role in delivering leading edge sonar capability for Australian submarines.”

“The Australian industry component of the contract to be led by Thales Australia is worth in the order of $50 million and will support around 50 Australian jobs in Sydney and Perth.

“This is a clear example of our commitment to building and harnessing the innovation potential of Australia’s defence industry, as outlined in the 2016 Defence Industry Policy Statement,” he said.

AUS DoD

News Story: India Explores Alternative to Italian Weaponry in Germany

Vivek Raghuvanshi

NEW DELHI — After virtually freezing all defense business with Italy, the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has begun exploring alternatives to meet its dire weaponry requirements.

In an unexpected move, MoD has dispatched Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar to Germany to actively participate in the 10th annual India-German Higher Defense Committee Meeting, according to an MoD source. The event began June 13 and concludes Wednesday.

“We are exploring averting — from torpedoes, network-centric capabilities, naval gun solutions to submarines — with Germany," the source said. "We will only know the outcome when Kumar returns later this week."

The source said India could either buy weaponry from Germany through a government-to-government deal or via a single-vendor  source.

MoD spokesman Nitin Wakankar confirmed to Defense News earlier this month that the ministry had decided to cancel a more than $200 million deal with WASS, a subsidiary of Leonardo-Finmeccanica of Italy, for the purchase of 98 Black Shark torpedoes for Scorpene submarines. The cancellation process is still taking place.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Editorial: Asia's Largest Naval Warfare Exhibition - Focus on Subs and UVs

By Franz-Stefan Gady

This year’s IMDEX conference is bigger than ever — a telling sign of an accelerating arms race in Asian waters?

This week, Singapore will once more play host to Asia’s largest maritime defense trade fair, the Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX). Taking place from May 19 – 20 at Singapore’s Changi Exhibition Center, the 10th biennial IMDEX will feature military hardware from more than 180 participating companies, high-level delegations from around 40 and navy chiefs from 24 countries, along with 20 warships from 12 nations.

IMDEX 2015′s principal focus will be on unmanned vehicles (both in the skies and underwater), vessels suited for littoral waters, and underwater technology, according to the event organizers.

Defense News quotes Leck Chet Lam, IMDEX Asia’s head organizer, as saying that “unmanned vehicles will feature in several areas of IMDEX Asia 2015.” UV exhibitors will include Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, ST Engineering, SAAB AB, Atlas Elektronik and Microflown Maritime.

Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) in particular are expected to play a larger role in future underwater warfare (see: “The End of the Submarine as We Know it?” ) and will be a topic of discussion during the 15th Asia Pacific Submarine Conference (APSC), which will be held in conjunction with IMDEX Asia.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: Asia's Biggest Maritime Expo To Kick Off

By Wendell Minnick

TAIPEI — Singapore's quest for a new maritime patrol aircraft, a mid-life upgrade for F-16s and possible purchase of the F-35 are among the expected areas of interest at this year's Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEX), experts say.

The 10th biennial IMDEX will be held at Singapore's Changi Exhibition Centre from May 19-20.

Show officials have said this year will have many new attractions, including the first India pavilion. The India pavilion will join seven other country pavilions: France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Singapore, United Kingdom and the United States.

The US presence will include three naval vessels: the littoral combat ship Fort Worth, the destroyer Mustin and an unidentified fast-attack submarine.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

Industry: BAE SYSTEMS OFFERS A LOW-RISK SOLUTION TO ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY MARITIME OPERATIONS

Atlas Elektronik SeaFox

Adelaide, Australia: BAE Systems has offered a low-risk solution to provide the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) with deployable mine counter measures.

The company has offered a mission system for the SEA 1778 request for tender, which incorporates products with proven overseas use that will be locally delivered and supported in Sydney.

Under the proposed solution, BAE Systems will maximise the use of off-the-shelf products for undertaking mine and obstacle detection, classification, identification, avoidance and neutralisation (where necessary).

BAE Systems Australia’s Director Land & Integrated Systems, Graeme Bent said, “Our solution will safeguard vessels and crew supporting the Australian Defence Force’s amphibious capabilities, headlined by the two new Landing Helicopter Docks currently being fitted out by BAE Systems in Williamstown, Victoria.

News Story: India Taps Domestic Firms for Portable Sonar

PointShield Portable Diver Detection Sonar (DSIT Solutions)

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI

NEW DELHI — The Indian Navy plans to buy 78 portable diver detection sonar (PDDS) systems to improve littoral defenses, but only from domestic sources.

The US$70 million tender seeks to procure the systems under the “Buy and Make (Indian)” category, under which domestic firms forge joint ventures with overseas companies, but at least half of the system has to be sourced from homemade components.

The Navy uses sonar detection systems on ships procured from Sonardyne International of the UK; this will be the first time it has used portable diver detection systems.

Indian Defence Ministry sources said negotiations to procure PDDS gear from Israel on a fast-track basis were halted last year, when India changed its policy and decided instead to explore possibilities in the domestic market. While no domestic companies have built a PDDS system, MoD sources said defense companies will tie up with overseas defense companies to compete for the tender.

Read the full story at DefenseNews

NOTE: The “Diver Detection Sonar” Link in the above was added by PacificSentinel for clarity & context. 

News Story: Atlas Elektronik zeros in on Indian sonar deal

NEW DELHI, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Atlas Elektronik is close to winning an order for sonar systems for the Indian navy's indigenous Delhi-class and Russian-built Talwar-class warships, the Business Standard newspaper reported.

Atlas is the lowest bidder to supply active towed array sonars, but the Defense Ministry hasn't made a final decision, the Business Standard reported.

The first six systems will be manufactured at the Atlas facilities in Germany and the rest will be made in India under a transfer of technology arrangement.

"Atlas Elektronik has won the competition for the ATAS, which will equip the Delhi-class and Talwar-class ships initially and subsequently be manufactured in India under cooperation with Bharat Electronics," Khalil Rahman, head of Atlas Elektronik's Indian division, said.

Read the full story at UPI

Editorial: India To Upgrade Submarine Capabilities

Type 209 Submarine (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki)

By Ankit Panda

The Indian Navy is reportedly looking to upgrade its submarines with advanced sonar and torpedoes in the near future. According to The New Indian Express, the navy "has chosen the German firm Atlas Elektronik to help it upgrade the heavyweight torpedoes, the most reliable weapons that can hit surface and underwater targets (SUT), for the four HDW Type 209 Shishumar class submarines, also of German origin.”

Atlas Elektronik is also one of the firms likely to win a contract to supply the Indian Navy with Active Towed Array Sonars (ATAS). The ATAS systems would be fixed on non-submarine vessels, including the Delhi-class destroyers and Talwar-class frigates. The New Indian Express reports that "The contract winning company would be required to transfer the technology of the ATAS system to Indian defence public sector Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) to produce 10 more of the sonars for the Kolkata-class destroyers, Shivalik-class frigates and the Kamorta-class corvette.”

The planned torpedo upgrades are intended to affect 64 current-generation surface and underwater target (SUT) torpedoes and add around 15 years to their operational lifespan.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

News Story: German naval defence firm eyes India's market

BREMEN, GERMANY (PTI): A leading German naval defence firm is eying India's booming market with its latest weapons, equipment and combat systems at a time when the Indian Navy is looking to shore up its resources.

Atlas Elektronik, which opened its Indian subsidiary this year to target the country's growing defence market, showcased its latest torpedo, SeaHake mod4 ER, as among the fastest and most effective heavy weapons which could be used by the navy to boost its firepower.

It has a proven speed of well in excess of 50 knots and a range of 140 km and is also the safest, Atlas Electronic India CEO Khalil Rahman said.

Read the full story at Brahmand

News Story: German firm set to supply sonar systems to Indian Navy

BREMEN, GERMANY (PTI): German defence firm Atlas Elektroniks is close to signing a deal with India for the supply of low frequency sonar systems for its warships, enabling them to detect enemy submarines, warships and torpedoes from a long range.

The Active Towed Away Sonars (ACTAS) are intended to be mounted on six Indian Navy warships.

These low frequency sonars with active as well as passive operating system would help surface vessels locate enemy submarines, torpedoes and surface ships from a very long range and launch attacks, company officials said here.

Read the full story at Brahmand