The Irish Government has signed a multimillion-euro agreement with Thales DMS France to acquire towed sonar technology.
This cutting-edge sonar system, a first for Ireland, will enhance maritime security by providing monitoring and surveillance capabilities in the subsea environment.
The new sonar system will be deployed on Naval Service vessels to monitor activity within Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and near vital subsea infrastructure, such as communication cables and gas pipelines.
Tánaiste Simon Harris stated, “This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, allowing them to develop a comprehensive understanding of our subsea environment, thereby contributing to the crucial task of safeguarding our critical underwater infrastructure.”
“This initiative is part of a broader effort to address threats in our maritime domain.”
“This represents an important initial step in establishing a ‘pattern of life’ in the subsea domain, and future projects will further augment this capability.”
“This investment fulfills the Programme for Government’s commitment to prioritizing the protection of critical undersea infrastructure.”
“It also addresses, in part, the need identified in the Commission on the Defence Forces report, under Level of Ambition 2, for enhanced sub-surface capabilities to monitor subsea cables, among other maritime requirements.”
Mr. Harris further noted, “My department is also actively developing the country’s first National Maritime Security Strategy, and a public consultation on this new strategy will be launched in the coming days.”
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, explained that the new system would empower Naval ships to monitor the subsurface space within the maritime area.
He added, “This capability will significantly improve the Defence Forces’ situational awareness across all domains and represents a welcome advancement in the ongoing development and transformation of the Óglaigh na hÉireann (Defence Forces).”
“While the Naval Service and Air Corps already conduct regular monitoring of activity on Irish seas, this new acquisition will enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to a more complete maritime picture available to the Naval Service and the broader Defence Forces.”
“An enhanced maritime picture is also crucial for detecting illegal activities, including illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism, and espionage.”
The new sonar capability is expected to be operational within the Naval Service by 2027.
The Government has emphasized maritime security as a priority and has initiated several projects, including assigning the Department of Defence the lead role in coordinating and developing Ireland’s first National Maritime Security Strategy.
The Government has also recently approved the Defence Forces’ participation in the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), an EU initiative promoting structured and secure information sharing among EU maritime authorities, both civil and military, leading to more effective operations at sea in the face of modern and evolving maritime threats.
