Following the announcement of their teaming agreement on 1 November 2024, UK ship and fleet protection specialist SEA and Danish engineering company Terma announced the development of a combined countermeasures solution, Ancilia Powered by C-Guard MKII, on the first day of the 2024 Euronaval exhibition in Paris on 4 November.
The new capability will provide a broader range of vessels and fleets with access to the latest countermeasures technology to enhance the survivability of naval vessels in modern combat scenarios.
Using SEA’s trainable decoy launcher system, Ancilia, and the technology from Terma’s C-Guard MKII rapid response and constant threat evaluation capability, the combined countermeasures solution will is designed to provide an intelligent end-to-end solution ensuring enhanced fleet protection against multiple missiles and torpedoes for navies around the world.
Ancilia’s trainable nature, described by SEA as “a step-change in decoy launcher technology from traditional fixed solutions”, removes the need to manoeuvre the vessel to counter incoming threats. Its relatively small size and weight also allows for rapid installation on a wide range of maritime platforms. Incorporating a decoy-agnostic open architecture, the system can launch any standard 130 mm NATO decoy, as well as other calibres of effectors, and can be retrofitted onto existing platforms.
The two companies’ combined countermeasures solution pairs Ancilia with Terma’s proven C-Guard threat evaluation processing, which features advanced engagement algorithms. This will allow the end-to-end capability to easily integrate with a ship’s combat management system, enabling a broader range of vessels and fleets to adopt this latest countermeasures technology.
“In a rapidly evolving landscape with diverse threats, Ancilia powered by C-Guard MKII brings together leading countermeasures capabilities to offer a solution based on cutting-edge technology,” Richard Flitton, managing director of SEA, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “Providing protection across multiple spectrums including radar and infrared, the new capability will help enhance the survivability of naval vessels in combat situations.
“With Ancilia soon to be in service with a tier-one navy and C-Guard used globally, the combined capability is a next level countermeasures solution for vessels currently reliant on older technology,” Flitton added.
SEA announced on 26 March 2024 that it had been awarded a GBP 135 million (EUR 157.3 million) contract by the UK Ministry of Defence to provide its Ancilia system to improve the defensive capabilities of Royal Navy surface ships.
Thomas Elisberg, director of naval sales at Terma, was quoted as saying, “Ancilia Powered by C-Guard MKII will offer navies across the world access to an integrated countermeasures solution, with the capability of incorporating both fixed and trainable launchers. With enhanced flexibility and effectiveness, the system ensures optimal placement of decoys based on the evolving threat picture.
“Our partnership with SEA will deliver a truly integrated and customer-driven countermeasures offering.”
