Ultra Maritime has completed the inaugural water-based trial of its Multistatic Active Receive Sonobuoy (MSARS) in Scotland, contributing to ongoing UK efforts to strengthen anti-submarine warfare and underwater surveillance capabilities.
Developed with support from the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory through the Atlantic Bastion initiative, MSARS is part of a broader program aimed at leveraging autonomous systems for submarine detection and tracking. The project seeks to enhance the role of uncrewed aircraft in maritime surveillance while ensuring seamless coordination with crewed platforms, including the Royal Navy’s Merlin Mk2 helicopter fleet.
The sonobuoy can be launched from both manned and unmanned aircraft and features a digital mission-planning interface that allows operators to configure operational settings prior to deployment. Ultra Maritime is also advancing integration efforts with General Atomics’ MQ-9B SeaGuardian, enabling wider-area coverage, greater sonobuoy payload capacity, and more flexible distributed anti-submarine warfare operations.
The Scotland trial comes amid a series of recent milestones for the company. Earlier this year, Ultra Maritime was awarded a US Navy contract to begin low-rate production of the AN/SSQ-125B sonobuoy, which is designed to detect modern low-signature submarines in complex underwater environments. The company also secured a French contract through Thales to provide active and passive sonobuoys for national anti-submarine warfare requirements. Furthermore, Ultra Maritime entered a strategic partnership with Bharat Dynamics Limited in 2025 to co-produce sonobuoys for the Indian Navy, expanding its international collaboration footprint.
