Undersea sensing specialists Optics11 has won a contract from the Dutch Ministry of Defence to develop an “ASW-in-a-box” towed array sensor (TAS) system for the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).
The firm will expand and extend its OptiArray product line into a package which can be fitted to new and existing vessels, both crewed and uncrewed, as required, as per a press statement.
The Dutch Ministry of Defence (COMMIT) has contracted the first systems under its ASWINABO, or Anti-Submarine Warfare In A Box, programme.
As per the Optics11 statement, as well as delivering an unspecified number of operational systems, the deal will include work to support potential future upscaling of the programme, “strengthening the Netherlands’ ability to rapidly field advanced underwater sensing capabilities as operational requirements continue to evolve.”
The firm’s CEO Paul Heiden commented: “The underwater threat environment is evolving rapidly, but advanced threat sensing has traditionally been confined to a small number of specialist naval platforms.
“By containerising OptiArray, we’re making world-class detection faster, more flexible and cheaper. We want to set the standard for unmanned underwater and above-water drones, as our technology is a perfect fit for doing this: light, small, highly sensitive and very accurate.”
And Head of the Maritime Systems Department at COMMIT Captain Lucas Leppink described the RNLN ASWINABO programme as a “game-changer” for maritime security operations and protection of critical undersea infrastructure (CUI), adding: “The RNLN will be able to equip its surface ships, unmanned surface vessels and any other vessel of opportunity with underwater surveillance capability.”
- You can read more details on the Optics11 website
