Joining Forces: Pioneering Modular Sonar Integration for Enhanced ASW Capability

In October 2022, CUBEDIN A/S and Thales announced a ground-breaking collaboration intended to enable Thales sonar systems to be integrated within our modular CUBEDIN concept.

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed at the Euronaval exhibition in Paris, the two companies agreed to work together to integrate a modular anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonar solution that could address emerging requirements in Denmark and further afield. This collaboration has also offered an opportunity for the two parties to prove the software platform behind the CUBEDIN concept.

Thales is recognised as a global leader in the design, development and manufacture of surface ship sonar systems for both ASW and mine countermeasures. This includes the best-in-class CAPTAS 4 low frequency variable depth sonar, already established as the long range sensor of choice for the world’s most advanced ASW frigates.

In the past, a CAPTAS 4 system – combining an active towed body and receive arrays, launch and recovery equipment, and an inboard processing/display suite – would have been permanently installed in a ship during build, or fitted only as part of a major refit. But Thales has more recently worked to repackage the latest CAPTAS 4 Compact configuration into a modular configuration that can be cross-decked between platforms, or installed on vessels of opportunity.

Collaborative expertise

With the Royal Danish Navy developing its requirements for a variable depth ASW sonar to operate from its Absalon class flexible support ships, CUBEDIN and Thales identified an opportunity to establish a cooperation that could showcase their respective expertise. “This is serving as a proof-of-concept for us,” says Danny Ingemann, CEO of CUBEDIN. “What we want to demonstrate is how our innovative software solution can seamlessly integrate with the CAPTAS sonar.”

The CUBEDIN concept combines a physical interface with a software solution to enable interchangeable, adaptable ships that can be easily reconfigured to suit different missions. It is essentially implementing infrastructure and interfaces that allow a ship to become a fully reconfigurable ‘open architecture’ able to accept and integrate modules from different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)

The key to any integration is ensuring that individual modules are able to ‘talk’ to the relevant host ship systems, explains Martin Andersen, CUBEDIN’s lead software architect. “The CUBEDIN Gateway serves as a digital interface and translator. What we have done is to build a specific data driver that fits the communication protocol of the Thales CAPTAS sonar system.  That driver can communicate with the sonar, collect the relevant data and then push that into our Gateway.”

“In this case we have built the driver, using documentation prepared by Thales so we understand the protocol. Because we don’t have access to the physical hardware, we are instead using a small simulator which emulates the CAPTAS sonar.

“It sends out the health and status data which we then collect in the driver. So we are still at an early stage, but this is providing us a proof-of-concept.”

Greater operational flexibility

Work will continue through 2024. “Right now, we’re working to demonstrate that the ship’s crew can operate the CAPTAS sonar from their existing systems,” Martin says, “but that they can also use the CUBEDIN system to monitor system performance and behaviour. Our plan is to have this initial integration complete by the end of this year that we can then demonstrate.”

CUBEDIN’s long-term aim is to give commanders greater operational flexibility by having a wide range of interchangeable modules that can be swapped out or updated as operations dictate. “We want to reach a point where we can have each module can work seamlessly with the ship regardless of the OEM, and that each time a module is swapped out the software just adapts,” says Martin.

“We think that’s going to be how the architecture will look in the future. Different companies with their own proprietary systems  will most likely communicate using different protocols. So we’ve designed an architecture so that we can install these small drivers – just like you do on a standard consumer PC or laptop – and that driver ensures we can communicate with the system and ingest its data.

“In the future, we can see OEMs writing drivers aligned to specifications that we will provide.”

Since signing the MoU, the CUBEDIN and Thales have expanded their relationship to additionally cover products from the Thales above water sensors line. “The original idea behind the collaboration  was to seamlessly integrate cutting-edge sonar from Thales with our own software platform,” says Danny. “We’re now planning to extend that partnership to additionally bring in radars produced by Thales in the Netherlands.”