Thales has unveiled a new AI-enabled sonar system designed to enhance undersea warfare capabilities across a wide range of naval platforms. Known as Sonar 76Nano, the compact system is engineered to deliver advanced underwater detection for unmanned vehicles, seabed sensors, and crewed vessels, giving navies greater operational flexibility in increasingly contested maritime environments.
Developed in just 10 months, Sonar 76Nano draws on the proven acoustic performance of Thales’ flagship Sonar 2076 while packaging it into a smaller, modular, and rapidly deployable solution. The system’s AI-powered processing accelerates target detection and classification, enabling operators to identify potential threats more quickly and accurately, even in cluttered and complex undersea conditions.
Built as a digital-native capability, Sonar 76Nano integrates seamlessly with existing UK and NATO command-and-control networks, supporting distributed sensing and interoperability between manned and unmanned platforms. By equipping smaller assets with high-end sonar previously limited to major surface combatants, the system supports the UK Royal Navy’s Atlantic Bastion concept, enabling layered, networked undersea defense across the North Atlantic and other strategic regions.
