The contract involves the installation of NiDAR and associated sensors by MARSS onboard multiple vessels. The NiDAR platform will fuse a range of new and legacy sensors—including Wavefront’s Sentinel IDS sonar, navigational radars, and infrared cameras—into a single user interface to provide a highly accurate and rapid means of detecting and classifying underwater and surface threats to the vessel, when in transit, at anchor or in port.
Wavefront’s Sentinel IDS, as part of a NiDAR C2 ‘Command & Control’ system or installed as a standalone system, protects assets and people across all domains, including ships and yachts, critical national infrastructure, and civilian or military harbors.
This contract represents the first occasion when NiDAR will be operational on combat-facing vessels. The project, beginning this year, is expected to run until 2029, with the first vessel due for handover in 2026.
Sentinel IDS automatically detects, classifies, and tracks underwater threats approaching your protected area or asset, such as a diver, swimmer delivery vehicle, or underwater drone. The latest generation IDS, Sentinel 2, adds advanced Simultaneous In-band Active and Passive Sonar capability (SInAPS®) to identify threats and protect assets at ranges of up to 1,500 m for mini-subs and diver detection at up to 1,000 m.
Sentinel IDS has been designed for simple integration into C2 systems using industry-standard APIs, allowing the system to automatically inform the operator of any potential threat without the need for sonar-trained personnel. The sonar heads for this project are deployed by a through-hull deployment machine, allowing for rapid deployment and retrieval.
Frederik Giepmans, Managing Director MARSS Maritime, added, “By bringing our NiDAR technology to the front lines of naval defense, we’re not just expanding our market reach, but actively contributing to the security of those who serve and the nations they represent. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously, which is why we only work with sector-leading sensor partners—such as Wavefront—with systems our customers can rely on.”
Commenting on this sale, Ioseba Tena, Managing Director of Forcys—Wavefront’s sister company and now the primary route to market for future defense programs—said, “This partnership is a testament to the power of collaboration. By combining MARSS C2 with Wavefront’s Sentinel, navies worldwide have been able to protect critical assets worldwide from underwater threats. At Forcys, we look forward to continuing this legacy and supporting new customers whose naval bases and ships are currently at risk.”
