Ultra Maritime has completed the first in-water trial of its new Multistatic Active Receive Sonobuoy (MSARS) in Scotland, supporting the UK efforts to expand anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
MSARS was developed with support from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory as part of the Atlantic Bastion program, an initiative focused on expanding the use of autonomous technologies for submarine detection and tracking operations.
The effort seeks to integrate uncrewed aircraft into undersea surveillance missions while improving coordination with existing crewed platforms, including the Royal Navy’s Merlin Mk2 helicopter.
“Amid increasing Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic, enhanced detection and localization of threat submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles are critical to maintaining operational advantage,” the company stated.
MSARS can be deployed from both crewed and uncrewed aircraft and allows operators to configure mission parameters before launch through an integrated digital interface.
Ultra Maritime is also working with General Atomics to integrate MSARS onto the MQ-9B SeaGuardian unmanned aircraft.
The integration is intended to extend operational reach, increase sonobuoy payload capacity, and support distributed anti-submarine warfare operations across wider maritime areas.
Recent Programs
The trial comes as Ultra Maritime expands its sonobuoy programs through new production contracts and international partnerships.
In April, the company received a US Navy contract for low-rate initial production of the AN/SSQ-125B sonobuoy, a system designed to improve the detection of increasingly quiet submarines in complex acoustic environments.
Last year, France selected Ultra Maritime to supply active and passive sonobuoys under a contract awarded by Thales on behalf of the French defense procurement agency, supporting the country’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
Also in 2025, Ultra Maritime entered into a partnership with India’s Bharat Dynamics Limited to co-produce sonobuoys for the Indian Navy.
