Ultra Maritime to Co-Produce Anti-Sub Sonobuoys with BDL for Indian Navy
Ultra Maritime and India’s state-owned Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) will co-produce sonobuoys for the Indian Navy.
The sonobuoys will be produced according to US Navy standards, with production being split between the countries, the Massachusetts-based undersea technologies company stated.
In addition, they will be “interchangeable and interoperable between US Navy, Indian Navy and allied P-8, MH-60R and the MQ-9B Sea Guardian aircraft,” Ultra Maritime Senior Vice President for Strategy and Business Development Rear Admiral USN (ret) Mark Kenny said.
Sonobuoys or sonar buoys are released from aircraft and vessels for anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic research.
“The announcement today by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reflects Ultra Maritime’s commitment to the Indian Navy in partnering with Bharat Dynamics Limited for production and delivery of world-class sonobuoys, and our resolute commitment to continue to develop forward leaning solutions to unique undersea challenges,” Ultra Maritime CEO Carlo Zaffanella said.
Joint Research
The firms will also work on new sonobuoy technologies for the unique environment of the Indian Ocean in accordance with the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies.
The focus will be on the product’s acoustic performance enabling wide area search through bespoke multi-static active solutions,” Ultra Maritime explained.
The development comes months after the US State Department approved the sale of Ultra Maritime anti-submarine warfare sonobuoys to India for an estimated $52.8 million.
“Bharat Dynamics Limited is completely aligned with the Indian Navy to meet the operational demand for Make in India sonobuoys and is committed to stand up joint production with Ultra Maritime in Vishakhapatnam,” Chairman of BDL Commodore (ret) A. Madhavarao added.
“This initiative highlights the strategic importance of US-Indian defense industry cooperation and our ability to jointly move forward with urgency to enhance global security.”
