Welcome to Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems

Maritime Systems is a leader in the design, development, and manufacture of both passive and active sonar systems. Supplying military and research establishments around the world, the Company offers bespoke solutions to meet each customer's requirements. These state-of-the-art Towed Arrays for warships and submarines offer superior detection, classification, and localization of modern threats.

Passive Towed Arrays
Maritime Systems is "Canada's Centre of Excellence for Towed Arrays" and as such operates the country's largest towed array manufacturing facility. Towed array solutions are available across a wide range of frequency spectrums, hose diameters and through the use of either analogue or digital telemetry backbones. Maritime Systems' latest product is the Modular Multistatic Variable Depth Sonar (MMVDS). Designed with maximum flexibility in mind, the MMVDS functions as a conventional omni passive towed array, with left-right ambiguity resolution, or as part of an integrated active-passive towed sonar system.

Modular Multistatic Variable Depth Sonar
Key attributes of MMVDS include:

Directional Accoustic Sensor
Maritime Systems QUAD directional acoustic sensor module eliminates the mirror bearings typical of towed array solutions. This negates the requirement to perform Target Motion Analysis and provides a faster fix of the target's position.

Vibration Isolation
Key to enhanced acoustic performance of a towed sonar system is the ability to effectively isolate the sensitive array hydrophones from the tow platforms own self noise. Maritime Systems is a well respected expert in mechanical isolation through the implementation of specially designed vibration isolation modules that can be fitted fore and aft of the array's acoustic aperture.

Active Towed Sonar
Low Frequency Active sonar used either monostatically or as a multi-static source can offer significant improvements in the range at which a submerged target is detected. Maritime Systems has supplied towed sonar systems using a variety of different transducer technologies to a number of clients. Both reelable horizontal projector technology and vertical projector technology are available.
Using its Free Flooded Ring technology, Maritime Systems has constructed large, high-power towed active sonars designed primarily for warship multi-static operations. These vertical projector towed systems offer low frequency, high source level transmission that can be steered in azimuth. Moreover, Free Flooded Rings are virtually immune to the effects of hydrostatic pressure aleviating operating depth restrictions. The disadvantage with this approach is that two tows are typically required behind the warship. One to handle the passive receive array and a second for the towed active sonar. An alternative system has been perfected at Maritime Systems known as the horizontal projector array (HPA). In this system, active transducers are situated inside a larger diameter towed array. Maritime Systems has constructed arrays using both Barrel Stave Projector and Modular Projector System transducer technology. The HPA approach allows for the passive array to be towed aft of the active sonar module. Thereby, greatly simplifying the winch and handling system on board the ship. The disadvantage to the HPA technology is that it has some depth limitations and steering the sonar beam in azimuth is more complicated that in a traditional towed sonar system.

Active Sonar Transducer Products
Maritime Systems offers a range of active transducer / projector technologies to meet customer requirements across a wide range of operating frequencies, source levels, and depth. Maritime Systems provides these transducers as a ''one-off build' or as part of a fully integrated sonar system.

Sonar Research Projector (SRP)
The Sonar Research Projector (SRP) is a calibrated, high power, low frequency, wide band, towed sonar system comprising five major components: a tow body containing an array of sonar transducers and sensors, a tow cable, a winch and handling system, a PC-based sonar controller and an ISO container. The array of active sonar transducers provide acoustic output capability over a frequency range from below 100 Hz to 10 kHz.

Ringshell Projector (RSP)
The Ring Shell Projector (RSP) is a Class V flextensional that can produce a high acoustic output over a broad operating band. The Ring Shell Projector can be designed to operate from frequencies below 150 Hz up to 3 kHz, and produces an omni-directional beam pattern. With optional pressure compensation, an RSP typically has an operating depth exceeding 400 m and a safe immersion depth exceeding 500 m.

Free Flooded Ring Projector (RRF)
The Free Flooded Ring (FFR) consists of a ring of piezoelectric ceramic contained within a neoprene boot, and produces a toroidal beam pattern around the horizontal plane. It has exceptional properties for low frequency active sonar applications; very wide bandwidth (Q-1), very high efficiency (greater than 90%) and an unlimited depth capability. The FFR operates in the 500 Hz to 8 kHz band and can produce source levels in excess of 220 dB per element at 1 kHz.

Modular Projector System(MPS)
The MPS exploits the acoustic interaction between closely-spaced underwater sound projectors. An MPS can be configured for resonance frequency, bandwidth, output power or cavitation depth within a wide design envelope, without changing the design of the fundamental transducer element. The principal MPS effects are a lowering of frequency and broadening of bandwidth as increasing numbers of transducer elements are packed at milli-lambda separations. The result is a small and light, reliable and maintainable, low cost projector system that can be easily tailored to specification.