Thales, Saildrone pitch a windsurfing fleet of submarine spotters
By Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo
Apr 7, 2025, 10:23 AM
A Saildrone Surveyor drone is shown equipped with Thales’ BlueSentry sensor package, designed to detect underwater threats. (Saildrone)
MILAN — Thales Australia has partnered with Saildrone to integrate a towed array sonar system with the Surveyor unmanned surface vessel, promising navies the ability to pinpoint underwater threats through silent operation.
The companies’ tie-up follows sea trials, funded by the United States Office of Naval Research, during which Saildrone’s Surveyor USV, equipped with Thales’ BlueSentry sensor package, operated almost uninterrupted for 26 days.
Conducted off the coast of California, the tests demonstrated that the systems detected and classified underwater and surface threats, with an uptime averaging more than 96%, according to Saildrone.
In the context of underwater drones, the notion of “uptime” generally refers to the percentage of time the system is available and able to perform its intended missions continuously.
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2025/04/07/thales-saildrone-pitch-a-windsurfing-fleet-of-submarine-spotters/
