Thales Australia Opens Sydney Towed Array Sonar Facility for Hunter Frigates and Collins Submarines

Thales Australia has opened a 100-meter towed-array sonar manufacturing and sustainment hall at its Rydalmere site in Western Sydney, jointly funded with the Commonwealth. The facility will support acoustic systems for the Royal Australian Navy's Hunter-class frigates, Collins-class submarines and BlueSentry uncrewed surveillance systems. Located within Thales Australia's Acoustics Centre of Excellence, it provides domestic capacity for array production, integration, repair and ongoing support. The investment amount and first production delivery dates were not disclosed, while the company expects to create additional engineering and advanced manufacturing roles as work expands over the coming years.