Finnish Defense Forces Upgrade Naval Sonars

Kongsberg Maritime said it has been awarded a contract by Finnish Defense Forces (FDF) to deliver ST2400 VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) upgrades to the SQ2000MLU program for the Hamina-Class Corvettes fleet.

The ST2400 VDS is designed to provide accurate and highly reliable performance for detecting submarines, mines and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles in Littoral waters. The ST2400 VDS upgrade will enable the Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability on all four Hamina-Class Corvettes operating in the Baltics.

The ST2400 VDS is a medium-frequency sonar designed with an emphasis on performance and operation in shallow waters. It features a compact design, weighing under three metric tons and can be rapidly deployed for high speed maneuvering in addition to full stop (dipping mode). The unique ST2400 VDS is a compact package with Omni-directional coverage and performance that can overcome challenging acoustic environments while not limiting the vessel’s maneuverability.

Kongsberg Maritime Subsea Naval, Director of Sales, Thomas Hostvedt Dahle said: “The Finnish Navy has been our key partner from the early development of the first ST240 VDS in the 90’s to the latest version of the ST2400 VDS that we have today. It has been field tested in challenging conditions in the very shallow parts of the Baltics where reverberation issues and layers are dominant. We look forward to continue to improve and develop our system to operate in probably the world’s toughest ASW environment, together with the Finnish Navy.”

Kongsberg Maritime has developed and manufactured Naval sonars for anti-submarine warfare and mine hunting based on its portfolio of technology for subsea applications in offshore, seismic and merchant marine for more than 30 years. Its Military-Off-The-Shelf Naval products take advantage of the rapid development and comparatively low-cost production of commercial products and adapting them to naval application and user requirements.