Page 47 - Australian Defence Magazine April-May 2021

Innovating today
for a safer tomorrow
Ultra’s advanced underwater systems are transforming Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
Our innovative Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS), Towed Array Sonar (TAS) and a unique Integrated Sonar System (ISS) deliver dominance in the underwater battlespace and provide a critical operational advantage to Navies. Ultra sonars are onboard major warship programs across UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Surface Ship
Torpedo Defence
Ultra is a world-leader in towed torpedo defence systems with operational systems in navies across the world. Ultra’s integrated countermeasure system and expendable countermeasures ensures survivability of ships and submarines against advanced torpedo threats.
Hull Mounted Sonar
Ultra’s 2150 Sea Searcher is a medium frequency hull mounted sonar, that provides active and passive surveillance, and classification capabilities in a broad range of marine conditions. It combines an evolved digital high-performance ASW and an integrated torpedo defence capability.
Variable Depth Sonar
Ultra’s new generation of VDS is a single in-line active- transmit and passive-receive array. In its full specification it can include: an active horizontal projector array, a towed low-frequency source, a flexible, towed torpedo acoustic countermeasure body and a directional receive array.
SEA POWER MISSILES 47
history of the program, it did not disclose delivery schedules.
The LRASM is based on the extended range variant of the low-observable AGM- 158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) in service with the RAAF until recently on its F/A-18 A/B Hornets.
Fitted with a 450 kilogram high explosive penetrator-type warhead, the LRASM has a range of about 550 kilometre and is de- signed to detect and destroy specific targets within groups of ships using an advanced sensor and a ship recognition database.
This reduces dependence on intelli- gence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms, network links and GPS naviga- tion in electronic warfare environments.
The LRASM will initially be deployed on the RAAF’s F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, which can carry four of the missiles.
Integration procedures for LRASM into the Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft are under development and Lockheed Mar- tin confirmed earlier this year that initial fit checks on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter had been completed, although the missile is too large to be carried in the aircraft’s internal weapons bay.
NSM
Plans for a ship-launched variant appear to have fallen away after the LRASM was withdrawn in 2017 from a US Navy com- petition for an over-the-horizon weapon
ABOVE: HMAS Brisbane conducts a SM-2 standard missile live firing during Officer of the Watch manoeuvres off the coast of NSW.
DEFENCE