Irish Navy to monitor undersea cables and pipelines with Thales’ new sonar tech

The Irish government has signed a multi-million euro contract with Thales DMS France for the provision of towed sonar capability.

As disclosed, the sonar, the first of its kind in Ireland, will be used for monitoring and surveillance in the subsea domain, thus significantly enhancing maritime security.

Specifically, the new sonar capability will be used on Irish naval vessels to monitor activities in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and, in particular, in the vicinity of subsea communication cables or gas pipelines.

“This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, which will enable them to build a picture of our subsea, thus contributing to the important task of protecting our critical underwater infrastructure,” Tánaiste and Minister of Defense, Simon Harris, commented.

“This investment will contribute to the Programme for Government commitment to focus on the protection of critical undersea. It also responds in part to the need identified in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, under Level of Ambition 2, for a number of maritime capabilities including the enhancement of sub-surface capabilities to monitor sub-sea cables.”

“This advancement in capabilities of the Naval Service, through the procurement of towed array sonar, will enable our ships at sea to monitor the subsurface space within our maritime area. This capability will greatly enhance the Defence Forces’ situational awareness across domains and is a welcome advancement in the continued development and transformation of the Óglaigh na hÉireann,” the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, said.

While the Naval Service and Air Corps regularly monitor activity on Irish seas, this new acquisition is expected to enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to the Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces.

An enhanced maritime picture is also important for detecting illegal activities such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism and espionage.

The Department of Defense is taking the lead in the coordination and development of Ireland’s first National Maritime Security Strategy. It has received a capital allocation of €215 million in Budget 2025, and is set to receive a capital allocation of €220 million for 2026.

It is anticipated that this new capability will be available to the naval service in 2027.