the complete anti-submarine warfare - ultra · pdf filetem level capability was...

The completeAnti-Submarine Warfare

solution

innovation… performance… delivery… GUARANTEED

ultra09-1.ps 7/12/09 11:23 am

Ultra Electronics offers synergized solu-tions through a diverse range of capa-

bilities in the defense, security and civiliansector. The component businesses, a groupof small and medium sized enterprises(SMEs), function autonomously, with a leanheadquarters based in the UK. Together,Ultra’s businesses provide a cohesive collec-tion of technological expertise that spansseveral market domains.

”Ultra is a group of small andmedium businesses flying in close for-mation,” explains Carlos Santiago,President of Ultra Electronics Sonar &Undersea Systems. ”Although they areniche companies, there is a great dealof cross-pollination of technology.This provides a strong opportunity toincrease Ultra’s presence in thedefense market. The key is to continueto reach up the supplier food-chain.”

Providing the spur for the move to sys-

tem level capability was Australia’s AirWarfare Destroyer program, for whichUltra was awarded the Integrated SonarSuite contract. Speaking on the contractaward, Santiago remarked that, “Itdemonstrated the ability to bring in prod-ucts and technologies from across theUltra Group. It was important to take thatinitial step and to execute and establishthe capability. That helps build customerconfidence and gives Ultra credibility forfuture programs.”

Ultra has an unmatched organic capabilityin the ASW/sonar arena. Its businesses have,between them, over 120 specialist capabilityareas. Many of these can contribute to themost advanced ASW/sonar solutions.

As an integrator, Ultra is also seeking tobring in technologies and capabilities fromoutside the Group in order to provide cus-tomers with the best solutions for theirrequirements.

This approach places Ultra in a positionfrom where it can bid for prime contractsand make significant inroads into thedefense market. In the interim, attention ismaintained on the niche areas where it hasa technological advantage, and develop-ment is ongoing to ensure that Ultra’sascendancy is continued in key areas.Recoverable tethered buoys and communi-cations systems, and the company’s workon the combat systems of the LittoralCombat Ship are just two examples ofwhere its niche abilities are being applied.

Ultra’s expertise in the undersea domainalso provides a springboard to move intoother areas where sensor technology canbe adapted for various terrains. ApplyingUltra’s sonar expertise in new areas, suchas acoustic hailing devices, demonstratesthe Group’s commitment to providinginnovative solutions to the evolving secu-rity threats of the twenty-first century.

2SPONSORED CAPABILITY PROFILE PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH IHS JANE'S

Ultra Electronics – a dominant force in the unUltra Electronics (Ultra) is celebrating sixty years of acoustics expertise. With six decadesof experience Ultra is renowned as a world-leader in the delivery of innovative sonarand Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) systems. Now, Ultra is looking to build on thissuccess and move to the next level, capitalizing further on its cost-effective and high-performance integrated ASW solutions.

“Ultra’s Integrated Sonar Suiteprovides navies with

a huge force multiplier”

Ultra’s businesses specialize in niche markets, where their technological innovation andperformance have made them market-leaders. Niches remain an important focus of the

Group as a whole, but the collective expertise within the businesses provides a platformfrom which the company can grow in ambition.

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International ambitionsHaving established a strong internationalpedigree as an equipment house andproduct supplier, Ultra is continuing astrategy for global growth through com-mitment to international representation,and establishing itself within the commu-nity fabrics of the international markets inwhich the company operates. A reflectionof this commitment is the transitiontowards a more geographically-orientedbusiness that will be able to draw on thecombined strengths of the Group, so as tobetter respond to the needs of local cus-tomers.

Leading the way is Ultra ElectronicsAustralia, the establishment of which hasbeen driven by Australia’s Air WarfareDestroyer (AWD) program. As the supplierof the Integrated Sonar System for theAWD, Ultra is delivering 50% of the workin-country, leading it to set up anAustralian arm to manage its commit-ments.

This foothold provides a foundation fromwhich Ultra will grow its Australian entityto front the company’s activities through-out Australasia and the Pacific Rim region.Although this is being led initially by theASW/sonar business, the company’sregional activities in other domains canalso be managed through Ultra’sAustralian operation.

Australia already represents a large mar-ket for Ultra, and there are several signifi-

cant opportunities on the horizon. Theyinclude a series of planned upgrades for theRoyal Australian Navy’s Collins class sub-marines, the follow-on Future Submarinenow entering the concept design stage,and a new class of Future Frigate intendedto replace the service’s current ANZAC classvessels. Ultra Electronics Australia will actas the lead on the company’s bids to sup-ply key systems for all these major acquisi-tion programs.

What’s more, Ultra Electronics Australiais well-placed to identify opportunities andmanage program delivery across the widerPacific Rim region. Thanks to its time-zonealignment, Australia is well-positioned toexploit other key Asian markets, such asIndia, Japan and South Korea, making it anideal location from which to do business.

Additionally, just as the Australian gov-ernment has identified sonar and elec-tronic warfare as two priority industrialcapabilities that it wishes to nurture andsustain over the long term, Ultra is alsofocusing efforts to expand into Asia,where South Korea and Japan are alsoseeking to develop their industries in theseareas. As a corollary, Ultra is well-placed to

provide the sustainable sovereign capabil-ity sought by the Commonwealth, estab-lishing the in-country infrastructure andskills for lifecycle support.

To achieve these aims, Ultra is looking toleverage indigenous expertise with a viewto establishing long-term partnerships orby making selective acquisitions. In partic-ular, local SMEs are being actively soughtwho can add specialist capabilities andknowledge to complement Ultra’s ownblend of technology and skills. This in turnoffers the opportunity for them to access awider customer base through ‘reachback’into Ultra’s worldwide markets.

Another country that offers significantpotential for Ultra to establish more thanjust a supplier-customer relationship isTurkey. It is a prime example of Ultra’scommitment to the communities in whichit works, with technology transfer at theheart of the relationship. The company isinvolved in the Milgem corvette/frigateprogram and has made proposals associ-ated with a new class of submarine.

Ultra is expanding globally, and regionaloffices are seen as an important facet ofthe company’s transition from equipmentsupplier to systems integrator. They notonly provide an in-country contact to facil-itate co-operation with local partners, butalso allow Ultra to become more culturallyaware of regional requirements andthereby better placed to serve the needs ofits local customers.


undersea battlespace

Ultra has a broad and extensive heritageserving the world’s ASW market. Its nichecapabilities span the entire end-to-endspectrum of the ASW mission, from sensor toshooter, and at all levels of classification.Through internal investment and

acquisition of new niche businesses Ultrastays ahead of the ASW threat, continuallyreducing the ASW kill-chain timeline andproviding increased probability of missionsuccess through better sensors, andautomated detection, classification andlocalization systems. Counter-countermeasures logic is being extended

through improved surveillance and a greaterunderstanding of the threat.Ultra’s ASW systems and advanced decision

aids function within all operationalenvironments and, through advancedcryptography, provide securecommunications at all levels of the decisionhierarchy.Ultra’s commitment to the ASW world is

further underlined by its exploration andexploitation of innovative concepts toaddress evolving requirements, in bothtraditional and non-traditional technologysectors.

The complete ASW solution

“Ultra is committedto harnessing

and harvestingnew technologies”

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Hull-Mounted SonarFor surface ship applications, Ultra has devel-oped a comprehensive, fully Integrated SonarSuite, comprising both hull-mounted andtowed arrays. The company’s latest Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS) is a combinedactive/passive array with dual-frequencytransmit flexibility.

This HMS can be operated in omni-direc-tional mode, or in a sector search, such asmight be adopted to avoid coastlines orother vessels utilizing a range of FM and CWwaveforms, to increase probability of detec-tion and reduce clutter. It can transmit withina wide bandwidth to avoid mutual interfer-ence from other ships, providing greater flex-ibility in vessel positioning during multi-shipoperations. It has a heavy weather mode toincrease ensonification in high sea states,and a close contact mode for detection andtracking of close targets. Ultra’s HMS alsoincorporates a mine avoidance system, withhigh bandwidth FM waveforms to mitigateagainst reverberation.

Ultra’s HMS systems can be integrated intoexisting ASW systems, or can form a compo-nent within Ultra’s Integrated Sonar Suite.

Variable Depth SonarUltra has developed a new-generationVariable Depth Sonar (VDS), an in-line active-transmit and passive receive array system thatcan, in its full specification form, include anactive horizontal projector array, a towed lowfrequency source, flexible towed torpedoacoustic countermeasures body, and a direc-tional-receive array. There are also embeddeddepth, heading and temperature non-acoustic sensors to aid optimization of thesound-speed profile.

Ultra’s VDS marks a step change in technol-ogy and operability. Traditional towed arrays

consist of a hard-body transmitter and sepa-rate receiver, which in combination conspireto place a considerable structural burden onthe host vessel, and greatly constrain itsmaneuverability, and can only be deployed inlow sea states. By contrast, the single linearray needs only a single winch that can beoperated by two personnel. Moreover, thelight weight and low footprint of the designallows the VDS to be fitted to vessels thathave not been designed specifically for ASWoperations. The array can also be towed at upto 30 knots for emergency maneuvering,something that is impossible with hard-bodies, and remains operational in excess ofSea State 5. Yet performance is not compro-mised as it offers comparable source levels toa traditional hard-body system.

The VDS’s nested receive array covers threeoctaves, and is populated with quad-receivehydrophones allowing left/right ambiguitiesand target above/below depth to be resolvedimmediately, rather than have to go throughthe time-consuming process of repositioningthe ship and re-stabilizing the array.

The entire towed sonar uses redundantfiber-optic cables, with universal adapterslinking the various components. Thus, thesystem is fully modular, allowing customersto select capabilities from a menu of mod-ules, and to subsequently upgrade or addfurther elements.

SonobuoysUltra is the world’s largest provider ofsonobuoys, its products spanning the entirespectrum of types. Ultra’s culture of eco-nomic consciousness while introducing newtechnology and highly processed controlledmanufacturing are key differentiators forsupplying cost effective, quality products.

Sonobuoy development is currently

focused on improving multi-static ASWoperations, which require the employmentof passive and active sonobuoys as well assignificant signal processing. This focus isdriven by a need to operate in littoral waterswhere passive buoys are less effective.Multi-statics also have applications indeeper water, where the modern, quiet sub-marines have become very difficult to detectusing traditional ASW techniques.

Increased in-sensor signal processing is


Delivering integrated effect in the underwaterA world leader in undersea warfare technology, Ultra offers an unrivalled range ofacoustic sensors and effectors for airborne, surface ship, submarine and unmannedvehicle applications.

“Ultra’s emphasis open architecture s

be eas

High-resolutionSea Bed Imagery

Ultra's range offorward-looking and

synthetic aperturesonars present the user

with high-resolutionsea bed imagery and

bathymetry data,enabling rapid

identification ofobjects of interest both

on the sea bed and inthe water column

VariableDepth Sonar

BARRASonobuoy

The Ultra ASW solution provides a powerful and versatilesonar suite that can offer ship-to-ship and ship-to-array

capabilities, as well as performing in a multi-static environmentwith organic and non-organic assets such as sonobuoys anddipping-sonar.

This provides navies with a huge force multiplier, reducing thenumber of ships required to achieve the desired sonar coverage,removing target aspect dependencies, and maximizing the num-ber of opportunities to achieve detections. The associated pic-ture-building process is improved and expedited by high-qualitycontacts from a number of different sources, in turn raising theconfidence levels in the target information.

While Ultra’s products have all been engineered to provide abest-in-class answer to individual requirements,

one of the Group’s strengths lies in its ability to bringtogether these discrete systems into integrated ‘system ofsystems’ solutions. Furthermore, Ultra’s emphasis on develop-ing COTS-based open architecture solutions enables productsto be easily integrated into both new and legacy ASW suites.

Ultra’s continued research, technology and engineering develop-ment effort mirrors changes in the operational environment. Forinstance, the shift in emphasis in ASW towards operations againstquiet diesel-electric boats in the cluttered confines of littoral watershas spurred the development of a new generation of multi-staticsonar processing systems that integrate multiple active sources andpassive receivers. The growing importance of small unmannedunderwater vehicles represents another growing opportunity whereUltra’s expertise can excel.

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becoming more relevant as a technique toimprove overall ASW system performance.Ultra and ERAPSCO, the company’s joint ven-ture with Sparton Electronics, are leading theintroduction of autonomous in-buoy detec-tion processing, while simultaneously signifi-cantly reducing sensor communications band-width requirements, and offering beyond line-of-sight communications options.

ERAPSCO was initiated in 1987 betweenthe two largest U.S. sonobuoy suppliers tobetter address the U.S. Navy market. Thescope of this joint venture has been expandedto support new U.S. Navy sensor developmentand production, and, under the nameSonobuoy TechSystems, to service the overallneeds of the international ASW community.

Sonobuoy ReceiversUltra has forty years experience in thedesign, development and supply of highperformance sonobuoy receivers, and simu-lation and test systems for ASW. Ultra hasover five thousand receivers installed aroundthe world supporting a variety of helicop-ters, maritime patrol aircraft, surface com-batants and laboratories.

Ultra continually builds upon its experiencegained with existing systems, new sonobuoydevelopments, and technology upgrades to

push performance and function envelopesfor these highly sophisticated advanced ASWreceivers while reducing the cost per acousticchannel. The latest sonobuoy receivers aresoftware-defined wide-band solutions thatreceive signals over long ranges and withvery low audio distortion. The flexibility andcapability of the systems allow customers tovary data speed, enabling a greater flow ofinformation, increasingly important intoday’s multi-static ASW operations.

Ultra’s systems save the customer weightand power, important considerations in theairborne world – specifically the emergingunmanned world – and they are compatiblewith a range of local area network outputs.The ability to easily update software allowsfunctionality to be added, such as GPS dataembedded within the sonobuoy telemetry,as well as adaptation to customer-defineddata streams and protocols.

Recent developments have includedsonobuoy positioning systems for both fixedand rotary-wing platforms, allowing the pre-cise location of each buoy to be tracked asit drifts in the ocean. Radio frequency inter-ference (RFI) mitigation techniques havebeen introduced to overcome the problemsof operating in littoral waters, where civiliantransmissions from coastal communitiescause interference.

Countermeasures and TorpedoesAs one of the world’s leading suppliers ofexpendable and towed acoustic countermea-sures, Ultra provides a range of towed andexpendable off-board systems to ensure thesurvivability of ships and submarines in theface of a range of advanced torpedo threats.

Ultra’s family of acoustic expendables,encompassing a complete array of NATOstandard devices from 3-inch to 6.75-inch indiameter, is complemented by towed sys-tems such Nixie and the Flexible Towed Body(FTB). There is an increasing shift towardsprogrammable devices that can be tailoredto counter specific sonars and upgraded tomeet future threats.

Unlike sonobuoys, which are high-volumeproduction items, the countermeasuresbusiness demands lower rate production ofcomplex, high-density electronic systems.Ultra has succeeded in bringing down pro-duction costs without detriment to perform-ance or reliability, resulting in the award ofevery U.S. contract in the last fifteen years.

Ultra is also positioning itself to bid intothree advanced torpedo programs as the U.S.Navy moves away from traditional single-source procurement towards competitivesub-system acquisition to achieve cost sav-ings. As such, the navy itself is acting as sys-tems integrator for new versions of the Mk48 heavyweight and Mk 54 lightweight tor-

pedoes, as well as the new Anti-TorpedoTorpedo (ATT), a containerized hard-kill effec-tor. Ultra believes its advanced technologies,strong project management disciplines anddeep expertise in the countermeasures worldposition it to contribute as both a componentsupplier and system integrator.

Forward-Looking and Side-Scan SonarsUltra has developed a versatile sonar archi-tecture that allows the company to offer ascaled series of forward and side lookingsonar array solutions for submarines. Basicmodules can be tailored into customer-defined arrays covering a variety of frequen-cies and a variety of tasks, such as naviga-tion, mapping, harbor surveillance and minedetection. An important application of thenavigation function is the direction of swim-mer delivery vehicles.

Side-scan arrays provide a high-resolutionsynthetic aperture capability for detailedseabed mapping, while the forward-lookarrays fill the coverage gap ahead of thesubmarine. A typical forward-hemispherearray covers a 60° conical sector with anangular resolution of 1° and range ofaround 500 metres.

Ultra’s Forward Look Sonar can also beapplied to under ice survey. Both ice andseabed mapping is geo-referenced so that itcan be overlaid on existing charts.

Ultra’s development is focused on improv-ing array performance. Single-crystal trans-ducers permit a move to wider-band lowfrequencies, and emissions in a range of fre-quencies. Sampling returns across a widefrequency range, typically from 100 to 400kHz in 40 kHz bands, provides the capabilityto classify the seabed type. Ultra is alsostudying forward arrays with a 0.25° angu-lar resolution across a 120° sector.

Electronic WarfareUltra has extensive EW capability and tech-nologies associated with ELINT collectionand analysis systems, and related opera-tional requirements such as detection andwarning of LPI radars, specific emitter iden-tification, precision parameter measurementand directed high sensitivity receivers. Thesedigital receiver systems are typically inte-grated into traditional ES systems, althoughthey can operate as stand-alone equipment.

Open industry standards allow plug andplay of hardware and software modules.Products for specific applications are devel-oped by bringing together the right mix ofMOTS/COTS tuners, digitizers, FPGA modulesand processors, with software and firmwarederived from customer-furnished or Ultra-generated algorithms. Pre and post missionoperations are fully supported with an exten-sive set of analysis and evaluation tools.

5

er domain

Sonobuoy Receivers

asis on developing COTS-basedre solutions enables products toeasily integrated”

Expendable AcousticDecoy countermeasures

SPONSORED CAPABILITY PROFILE PRODUCED IN ASSOCIATION WITH IHS JANE'S

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Today, Ultra is continuing to seek newmethods of improving capabilities in the

sonar arena, combining a focused programof corporate research and development withan innate knowledge of the customer’soperations and aspirations, to ensure itretains its place as a premier supplier ofleading-edge solutions.

Sonar, of course, is governed by the laws ofphysics and, as such, there are inherent limitsto the exploitation of the fundamental tech-nologies. Yet significant potential remains toapply advanced signal processing techniquesso as to translate data into actionable infor-mation. At the same time, as affordabilitybecomes an ever more important considera-tion for customers, Ultra is committed toharnessing and harvesting new technologiesthat deliver advanced functionality andsuperior performance while reducing acqui-sition and through-life costs.

Ultra’s unrivalled expertise in sensor tech-nology and acoustic processing has alsoplaced the Group in a unique position tomigrate into other mediums, such as the sci-ence of sound in the atmosphere. Applyingunderwater techniques to the above-waterenvironment has allowed the company todevelop a number of exciting new technolo-

gies that are set to play a vital part in safe-guarding the lives of both military personneland civilians in the future.

High Power Density Wideband AcousticPayloadsUltra is leading the field in applying single-crystal technology to autonomous sonarand communications payloads. While thistransduction material is available to all, Ultrahas demonstrated the unique ability toapply it to complex system requirements at arepeatable production level, achieving reli-able product performance while deliveringacoustic and system performance neverbefore thought possible.

This technology, by which materials areformed from a single crystal, is being har-nessed by Ultra to develop advanced trans-ducers that offer similar performance to tra-ditional units, but at a fraction of the sizeand with much-reduced power require-ments. Conversely, the technology permitsstandard-sized units to possess higher levelsof acoustic output and provide broaderbandwidth performance.

These crystals have phenomenally largeelectromechanical coupling coefficients,piezoelectric coefficients and high dielectric

breakdown strength and maximum strainattainable, which are better than that of aPiezoelectric Transducer (PZT). Their mainadvantage is both broadband and largeacoustic energy density capabilities (com-pared to PZT ceramics). Such unique proper-ties can reduce the number of sonars neededto provide the specified frequency coverage.

Efficient high-power density systems areperfectly matched to Autonomous andUnmanned Underwater Vehicles(AUV/UUVs), in which space and power areat a premium. Ultra can offer a full suite ofacoustic products for AUV/UUVs, and hasalready been awarded 20 contracts for vari-ous applications, including the SubmarineComms at Speed and Depth Buoys, NextGeneration Countermeasures, LittoralBattle-space Sensing AUV, Shallow WaterCombat Submersible, advanced thin linetransmit arrays and many others.

Rifle Mounted Gunfire LocatorThe Rifle Mounted Gunfire Locator (RMGL)represents a novel application of Ultra’sexpertise in acoustics to address the prob-lem of detecting the source of hostile gun-fire on the battlefield. By working in the fre-quency domain and using phase compari-

6

Innovation – changing the gameUltra has a long and proud track record of engineering innovative acoustic products andmaturing game-changing technologies.


Hyperspike®

Ultra’s Hyperspike® is a revolutionary acoustic prod-uct utilizing patented technology to achieve levels ofloudness, directionality and clarity that were previ-ously unattainable. This technology holds the worldrecord for acoustic sound pressure level and hasproved very effective for long-range acoustic hailingand mass notification.

Acoustic hailing is an important capability for bothmilitary and civil security forces. Ultra’s Hyperspike®

family of acoustic hailing device products can projectsounds to over 1500 metres with extraordinary clar-ity, while still maintaining safe levels of sound at theoperator position.

Maritime security is one important application. Theability to notify and identify harmful intent whilepotential intruders are at extended ranges givesdefenders valuable added time to respond withappropriate escalations of force. Other areas whereHyperspike® acoustic hailers could be employedinclude remote weapons stations, land vehicles,perimeter security and crowd control.

A second application of the technology is in omni-directional mass notification systems. Hyperspike®

can produce a clear broadcast up to 3 miles in alldirections, producing over 28 square miles of articu-late voice coverage from one device. In addition, the

radiated acoustic pat-tern is such thatthose in close prox-imity to the prod-uct are not sub-jected to unsafelevels of sound.Military applicationsinclude base addressand incoming enemyfire warning systems thatprovide forward deployedtroops with valuable seconds toreact to hostile fire. Mass notification systems canalso be installed for warning of natural disasters,such as tornadoes or tsunamis, and for large events.

Apart from its range and volume performanceanother important operational attribute ofHyperspike® based acoustic hailing and mass notifica-tion systems is their ability to carry a range of soundswith equal clarity. This unique system flexibilityallows warning alarms to be backed up with under-standable verbal instructions. The fully integratedsystems for both mass notification and hailing areself-contained, and can be set up for use in a matterof minutes.

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son rather than traditional time-of-arrivaltechniques, the company has developed asensor and processor that is small enough tofit on to an assault rifle, yet gives a fire-source positional accuracy of better than 7°in azimuth/elevation (the field of view for atypical sight) and 10% in range. Ultra hasalso developed a highly compact inertialmeasurement unit that compensates forsensor movement.

Designed with the infantry soldier in mind,the lightweight RMGL system is mounted onthe weapon’s center of gravity. Easy to use,with just two buttons for control and a pairof batteries for power, it shows a clockfacedisplay for coarse alignment with the firesource, allowing correct evasive action to betaken immediately. The display switches to acrosshair format for more accurate sourcelocalization as the weapon is brought tobear on the fire source.

Ultra’s acoustic processing in the fre-quency domain allows RMGL to classify thetype of incoming rounds, maximize per-formance in noisy environments, minimizefalse alarms and to solve multi-path anom-alies such as those caused by echoes frombuildings, making it ideally suited to urbanwarfare. The system is not affected by theuser’s own fire, and it can be set up toignore fire from friendly forces operating inclose proximity to the sensor.

RMGL is attracting significant interest in theinfantry protection role, and Ultra is alreadyworking on making the system even smallerand with a reduced power requirement. Thetechnology could be integrated with otherweapon-mounted systems, such as nightsights, which could share power supplies andprocessing. The concept of networkingRMGL sensors so that commanders on theground can immediately see when a unitcomes under fire is also prompting interest.

Ultra’s RMGL technology has numerousother applications. The company is studyingthe use of an array of sensors to providehostile fire indication for helicopters andvehicles, while in the civil security world thesensors could be used to provide sniperdetection at major events.

Portable Acoustic Sonobuoy Simulator(PASS) IIIn working with customers and system inte-grators on a variety of ASW systems, Ultraidentified a need for a tool that could providesuperior performance in integration or oper-ational testing of airborne and shipboardacoustic systems, in either demanding opera-tional or controlled laboratory environments.The result is the Portable Acoustic SonobuoySimulator (PASS) currently in service withglobal navies.

The PASS supports generation and recep-

tion of either RF modulated or basebandsonobuoy signals via radiated or direct con-nections. An improved generation (PASS II)has just been introduced.

Ultra has devised a system that is capable,compact and compliant. It is self-contained,with its own sunlight-readable display incor-porating touch-screen technology, and has anumber of standard interface options. It candraw power from a battery, primarily for useon the flightline, or be hooked up to exter-nal power sources.

The system can be set up with predefinedsimulations, or loaded with data from real-world situations. Several functions can beperformed by PASS II, making it a highly use-ful piece of equipment. Tasks includeevaluation and qualification ofsonobuoy systems; trou-bleshooting; preflight check-ing of acoustic suites; anda training tool for tech-nicians and operators.

Future Electronic WarfareUltra has developed a set of EW technolo-gies to level the battlefield between radarand EW surveillance systems. These EWtechnologies are designed to counter thenew generation of radar systems that aredifficult to detect and exploit.

Ultra’s electronic surveillance systems incor-porate high sensitivity digital receivers thatallow modern stealth radars to be detectedand located. Additionally, these systems areable to exploit the presence of subtle finger-prints in the radar transmissions to identifythem as belonging to a specific ship, aircraftor site. These technologies can be used insignal intelligence collection systems and in

threat warning applications.


Rifle Mounted Gunfire Locator

RMGL can be engineered to mount onany assault rifle. It offers the ability to beintegrated with other weapon-mountedsighting systems, and with Future Soldierbattlefield networks

Clockface displayfor coarse alignment

Crosshair displayfor accurate hostilefire location

Portable Acoustic Sonobuoy Simulator II

7

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Right across its customer base, Ultra worksclosely with end users and acquisitionagencies to provide the best answer totheir immediate needs, while at the sametime using its unrivalled knowledge ofundersea technology to help define a long-term capability roadmap matched to futurerequirements.

At a time when militaries around theworld face downward budgetary pressures,Ultra is striving to drive down the cost ofASW through a combination of value engi-neered design, efficient manufacture andwholesale embrace of COTS-based openarchitectures. At the same time, it has fos-tered a culture of innovation that continuesto deliver decisive performance improve-ments to stay ahead of the threat.

Ultra’s business model avoids vendorlock-in. Instead, the company is committedto promoting a true open system architec-ture approach with published interfacestandards, allowing customers to tailor anddevelop the systems according to their ownprecise needs, and insert third-party tech-nologies, without any requirement toreturn to Ultra for modifications.

This, and a strong emphasis on software-defined products, creates an agile capabil-ity to provide support for operational sys-tems: ground training aids can be devel-oped using the same software loads, as cananalysis tools; modules can be added forresearch purposes; and threat librariesassembled and refined.

Ultra is also committed to offering flexi-ble and cost-effective contractor logisticssupport packages. It already undertakes anumber of through-life capability services,including availability-based contracts, andhas demonstrated its ability to repeatedlymeet performance requirements at undertarget cost.

For its portfolio of products, Ultra is able

to offer 24-hour on-call support, includingtechnical help desks and CONDO(Contractors ON Deployed Operations)engineers. Out-of-area contractor logisticsupport is also available.

As well as maintenance and training,these packages can include comprehensiveobsolescence mitigation plans, andreplacement through remanufacture oftime-expired items and recovered expend-ables. Full cradle-to-grave inventory man-agement is offered, covering products fromtheir initial design to eventual disposal.

Customer Focus

innovation… performance… delivery… GUARANTEED

A combination of technical excellence, rigorous project management and an unblinkingfocus on meeting customer needs in its chosen markets has seen Ultra establish itself asa world leader in sonar, acoustic and sonobuoy technologies.

Ultra Electronics Limitedwww.ultra-electronics.com

[email protected]

ultra09-8.ps 7/12/09 11:22 am

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