Thales Celebrates 30 Years of Sonar 2076 and Unveils Next-Generation Sonar 2176

Held during DSEI 2025, the anniversary event also served as the debut of its successor: Sonar 2176 - a next-generation sonar suite engineered for the future battlespace and the next generation of attack submarines.

London, DSEI 2025

Bringing together key figures from across the submarine domain, including the Defence Nuclear Organisation (DNO), Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA), Royal Navy, BAE Systems, DSTL, and Thales’ supply chain partners, the evening reflected on a proud heritage and marked a future-facing commitment to delivering sovereign advantage below the waves for decades to come.

“Through 30 years of development, production and operation, Sonar 2076 provides the warfighting edge for the Royal Navy’s submarine fleet, enabling stealth, intelligence, and lethality in the most contested domains,” said Paul Armstrong, Managing Director, Underwater Systems, Thales UK. 

“The transition to Sonar 2176 signals a new era of undersea operational readiness - designed to outpace threats and enable dominance in the underwater battlespace, building on technologies and capabilities already being built into current and future submarine classes”.

Proven Legacy, Future-Ready Technology

Sonar 2076 has evolved through decades of continuous enhancement, intelligence integration, and real-world operational feedback. It now demonstrates a major milestone as a modular, upgradeable system architecture, aligned to all current and future submarine platforms.

The newly revealed S2176 sonar suite introduces a generational leap in performance, modularity, and adaptability. Designed for spiral development through-life and to fully integrate with the SSN-AUKUS class, it ensures UK submarines maintain decision superiority in high-threat environments.

Key Highlights:

• Silent service across three decades: Operational excellence and trusted sovereign delivery through Sonar 2076.
• Unveiling of Sonar 2176: A step-change in acoustic warfare for the Royal Navy’s next-generation attack submarines.
• Strategic contribution: Supporting UK Defence priorities through high-value skills, Subject Matter Expert growth, and innovation via the Sonar Academy.
• Fleet alignment: Directly supporting the UK’s ambition to build up to 12 attack submarines as part of SSN-AUKUS programme in response to the rapidly increasing threats. 

Thales remains committed to delivering world-class mission-critical underwater systems that give UK and allied forces the decisive edge.