Thales this week said its Advanced Acoustic Concepts subsidiary delivered the first Combined Active Passive Towed Array Sonar (CAPTAS-4) sonar for the Navy’s new Constellation-class frigates months ago.
The company specifically delivered them to frigate prime contractor Fincantieri Marinette Marine, which awarded the CAPTAS contract to Thales in May 2022. Thales said the delivery occurred on Oct. 12, 2023, ahead of the contractual milestones.
Thales confirmed the CAPTAS-4 variable depth sonar (VDS) finished all milestones the Navy established with Fincantieri and the first unit is currently in the U.S and is ready to be installed on the future USS Constellation (FFG-62).
The Navy decided to use the CAPTAS on the frigate upon canceling development work on RTX’s [RTX] AN/SQS-62 Variable Depth Sonar, called the for Dual-mode Array Transmitter (DART).
The DART was previously planned to be used on Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships and the frigates for anti-submarine detection, but technical issues related to hydrodynamics as well as transducer problems led the Navy to scrap it, in favor of just using the CAPTAS on the frigates alone (Defense Daily, Sept. 1, 2022).
Thales noted CAPTAS-4 is used on the French and Italian FREMMs, the base design for the Constellation-class. It is also equipped on the British Type 23 and Type 26 frigates, the Spanish F110s, and the Chilean T-23.
Two CAPTAS-4 systems have been awarded thus far while the current contract includes options for up to eight more CAPTAS-8 transmitter assemblies.
Thales said in April AAC will finish construction of a new CAPTAS production facility near the current CAPTAS production site near Uniontown, Pa., given this increased demand. The new facility will house final assembly, integration and acceptance testing for shipsets two through 10.
“Thales is a long-time supplier of advanced and capable ASW systems to the U.S. Navy and major U.S. prime contractors. With this new contract for the delivery of CAPTAS-4 variable depth sonar, they are once again demonstrating the performance of our acoustic systems and renewing their confidence in our teams,” Gwendoline Blandin-Roger, Thales vice president for underwater systems, said in a statement.
AAC was founded in 1989 and in 2011 became a joint venture acquisition between Leonardo DRS and Thales Underwater Systems. Then, in 2022, AAC Thales acquired the company as a wholly owned subsidiary of Thales (Defense Daily, July 29, 2022).