Thales Underwater Systems delivered the S2076 suite of sonar products on HM Royal Navy’s Trafalgar class submarines and more recently on the Astute class. Based in the test sites of Brest and Nice, JE delivered project management services in support of this major project. Works focused on the massive and awesomely powerful active bow sonar utilising state of the art amplifier and hydrophone technology.

This assignment had two main parts –

1. Bow sonar development in Brest with testing in Nice
2. Towed Array Sonar production in UK

The bow sonar is an extremely high power active pinger. Thales had taken the decision to subcontract this element of the overall submarine works to an internal company in Brest. This led to difficulties regarding expectations of scope and revealed inadequacies in the specification process. As a result, relationships had become problematic. JE worked within the French team to reset relationships and establish an agreed path for completion of the project. Direct management of the environmental test of the equipment was carried out in specialist test facilities in Nice.

The towed array sonar is an extremely sensitive passive listening device. Made up of long towed elements, this sonar has unique production requirements to deal with the mechanical and water pressure stresses along with the ultra low noise signal processing required. JE performed a coordination role to join up the design and development team with the production team. This required requirements engineering and resulted in cost savings.

WHAT JACKMAN ENTERPRISES DELIVERED

• Set up joint French/UK team
• Negotiated technical and commercial plan
• Managed specialist environmental test programme
• Formalised and fixed requirements
• Coordinated production issues
• Cost reductions

SCALE

• 4 Trafalgar class nuclear submarines
• Bow active sonar with 750 power amps
• 1kW per amp
• Towed array passive sonar
• 40 x 100m length modules
• Dry dock and sea trials