Thales has been awarded a contract to supply minesweeping equipment for the Republic of Korea Navy’s (ROKN) new Mine Sweeper Hunters. The contract signed with ITT Corporation (now ITT Exelis) is for the supply of three ship sets of advanced acoustic generators (AAGs) from Thales in Australia. These will be provided by ITT Exelis to GMB USA, which is the prime contractor for the ROKN’s mine sweeper hunter (MSH) combined influence sweep (CIS) project.

Jean Pellegrin, Thales Country Director of South Korea, said: “The ROKN has committed to having the most advanced minesweeping technology, which is also in service with the Royal Australian Navy, the United States Navy, and two other navies.

“As new mine-related threats emerge, it is vitally important to deploy cutting-edge systems that deliver innovative and flexible capabilities to friendly naval forces on operations. We are extremely proud to be a part of the ROKN’s capability in this area.”

Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s CEO, said: “This technology is the result of close cooperation with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), as well as a long-term investment to develop innovative, specialised solutions at our facility in Sydney, Australia. We believe the AAG is well suited to the export market, and this contract reflects growing international interest in our minesweeping systems.”