Danish Navy’s mine hunting upgrade program: Kraken reconfirmed as sonar systems supplier

Canadian marine technology company Kraken Robotics has been reconfirmed as a supplier of new sonar systems for the Royal Danish Navy.

Under the program, Kraken will deliver the KATFISH towed synthetic aperture sonar, the Tentacle winch and autonomous launch and recovery system (ALARS) to the Royal Danish Navy.

The total contract value is expected to be between C$35-$40 million, with the majority of that received over a 2-year equipment acquisition phase.

“We expect to finalize matters with the Royal Danish Navy during Q3,2020,” the company said.

The company’s subsidiary, Kraken Robotic Systems Inc., has received notification that the complaint process regarding the Royal Danish Navy’s mine hunting upgrade program has been finalized.

The Board of Complaints which oversaw the complaint process has ruled in favor of the Royal Danish Navy’s position on all points.

Kraken originally announced in October 2019 that it was chosen as the successful bidder on a program for the acquisition of new sonar systems for an unnamed international navy. The delay since then was the result of the complaint process initiated by a losing bidder combined with a slowing of government activity during the COVID-19 period in Europe.

This was a competitive bid process for upgrades of the Royal Danish Navy’s mine-hunting sonar equipment. As outlined in the decision, Kraken was one of four companies — including Northrop Grumman International Trading Inc., Thales DMS France, and Klein Marine Systems Inc. — whose offers were received and evaluated.

The Royal Danish Navy wants to acquire a replacement for its current Side Scan Sonar (SSS) system, which is the primary sensor for the Danish mine hunting division. In Denmark, a towed SSS is used to detect and classify mines and other objects on the seabed.