Thales has signed a co-development agreement with Febus Optics for a new class of critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) monitoring solutions.
The French firms will utilize their collective expertise to develop rapidly deployable solutions for the fast-expanding CUI protection market.
CUI protection has particularly gained significance following the sabotage of the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 undersea natural gas pipelines in September 2022.
“Monitoring and securing critical undersea infrastructure is now a key priority, and in the current geopolitical climate it is becoming increasingly important to overcome the technological challenges of CUI protection to address this growing market,” Thales explained in a press release.
“Undersea infrastructure such as communication cables, power lines and pipelines typically spans long distances, and monitoring these installations under extreme environmental conditions is a particularly complex undertaking calling for innovative solutions capable of guaranteeing their integrity and security.”
Undersea Surveillance Technology
Under the agreement, Thales will leverage Febus Optics’ Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) technology to propose an integrated solution that adds new functionality to its BlueGuard surveillance system.
BlueGuard involves round-the-clock monitoring of sensitive coastal sites and coastlines for emerging threats such as unmanned underwater vehicles.
Febus Optics’ DAS technology is deployed on optical fiber sensing cable. It detects acoustic signals generated on or around the installation being monitored through the principle of light backscattering — reflection of waves, particles, or signals back to the direction of their source.
It seamlessly monitors “the entire length of the infrastructure and ensures early detection and precise geolocation of any anomalies,” Thales said.
Thales will utilize its expertise in sonar array design and acoustic signal analysis for the proposed solution.