SEA to assist Thales in supporting Royal Navy’s shipborne sensors

Cohort group company SEA has secured a five-year contract with Thales as part of the 15-year Maritime Sensor Enhancement Team (MSET) programme for the Royal Navy (RN), Cohort announced on 6 May 2025.

The GBP 8 million (EUR 9.41 million) contract will see SEA help reduce the risk of sensor obsolescence on UK naval vessels while ensuring sustained functionality and enhancements, thus maximising the days that RN vessels are ready to deploy. The MSET smarter maintenance programme will support vital capabilities, including sonars, masts, periscopes and electronic warfare systems to increase RN equipment availability.

Under the MSET contract SEA will continue to provide waterfront support maintenance and regulatory inspections on the towed-array handling equipment used by staff at UK dockyards and overseas. In addition, SEA’s experienced and skilled engineers will deliver timely and effective repairs and operation defects/damage maintenance to ensure the required availability for RN shipborne sensors.

“Ensuring naval platforms and capabilities are mission ready is the backbone of naval operational readiness,” Kerry Parfitt, head of Maritime Support & Services at SEA, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Through the MSET programme we’ll be working closely with our industry colleagues at Thales and the UK Royal Navy to instil a proactive approach to through-life support – seamlessly integrating maintenance, innovation and training into operations.

“Not only will this mean platforms and critical capabilities are available when they’re needed most, but it will also strengthen the resilience of Royal Navy assets,” Parfitt said. “Continual enhancements to existing functionality will significantly reduce the risk of system obsolescence, delivering long-term cost efficiencies for the UK government. We’re looking forward to building on our longstanding relationship with Thales and the Royal Navy throughout this 15-year programme.”

“SEA’s proactive approach to tackling obsolescence and enhancing resilience is critical to ensuring Royal Navy ships remain mission-ready,” added Steven Lockley, managing director for underwater systems at Thales UK. “As we begin this 15-year programme, we’re excited to strengthen our partnership and deliver long-term availability for the UK Royal Navy’s critical assets.”

SEA’s sole-source MSET contract is a follow-on order from the Sensors Support Optimisation Project (SSOP), under which Thales is the prime contractor in providing in-service support for the RN’s major sensor systems.