New €60m sonar system aims to protect transatlantic cables, gas pipelines in Irish waters
A €60 million investment will see Ireland acquire a sonar system to protect subsea communication cables and gas pipelines within a zone extending 370km from the western coast.
The new system, the first of its kind in Ireland, is being purchased by the
Defence Forces
to monitor the subsea domain within the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), particularly around subsea communication cables and gas pipelines.
The Defence Forces announced on Sunday it has signed a contract with French security and defence contractor
Thales
and is expected to be completed by 2027.
The towed array sonar works by being dropped from a naval vessel into the sea. It can monitor enemy submarines and spy ships interfering with undersea cables.
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Some 75 per cent of transatlantic cables go through or close to Ireland. About $10 trillion in financial transactions go through the cables on a daily basis, according to the European Subsea Cable Association.
The State's EEZ extends to 370km (200 nautical miles) offshore around Ireland. It is an area more than 10 times the size of the State.
Ireland has faced sustained international criticism for not investing in defence spending, particularly as the Naval Service has only eight ships, of which just four are available for operations. Ireland has no submarines.
Former Defence Forces chief of staff Mark Mellett warned earlier this week that Ireland had to stop 'freeriding' on security gifted by others. He said there is imperative that the State protects undersea cables.
He said the cables are the 'arteries of our economic success'.
'Trillions of euros of trade are piped through all of that. If that infrastructure was to collapse, business would collapse. State security is inextricably linked with economic security,' he told a debate on neutrality hosted by the West Cork History Festival.
Russia has been suspected of targeting undersea cables in the Baltic Sea. Eleven undersea cables have been taken out since 2023, according to Finnish intelligence.
The sonar system investment is part of the Government's move to increase Defence Forces capability.
The Department of Defence has received a capital allocation of €215 million in Budget 2025, and is set to receive a capital allocation of €220 million for 2026.
Minister for Defence
Simon Harris
said the sonar system will be 'state of the art' and will contribute to protecting critical underwater infrastructure.
'This is one of many strands of work being progressed to address the threats in our maritime domain. It will serve as an important first step ... with future projects further enhancing this capability,' he said.
Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieut Gen Rossa Mulcahy said the towed array sonar 'will greatly enhance the Defence Forces' situational awareness across domains' and is a 'welcome advancement' in the forces' transformation.
An enhanced maritime picture is important for detecting illegal activities such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism and espionage, he said.
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