Thales Canada has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin Canada to supply the S2087 towed array sonar for the Royal Canadian Navy’s future River-class destroyers.

The S2087, also written as Sonar 2087, is a low-frequency variable-depth system from Thales’ CAPTAS family. With the selection, the Royal Canadian Navy becomes the twentieth navy to choose a CAPTAS variant, the company said.

The sonar is designed to detect and track quiet submarines at long range across both littoral and open-ocean conditions, and Thales describes its addition to the River-class as a significant boost to the anti-submarine capability of Canada’s next-generation surface fleet.

The award sits within Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy and its Build–Partner–Buy framework, under which Ottawa is deepening cooperation with the United Kingdom and other European partners while seeking domestic returns through the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy. Thales said it plans to work with Canadian industry to support the sonar across its lifecycle, with the aim of keeping maintenance and upgrade work under Canadian control. The company also linked the programme to a target of 75 percent fleet serviceability, attributing the sonar’s contribution to operational maturity and long-term supportability.

Ian Krepps, chief executive of Thales Canada, framed the system as filling a specific gap in the ships’ fit. “The S2087 adds a critical layer of capability to the River-class destroyers, ensuring Canada’s surface combatants are equipped to operate effectively in contested maritime environments,” he said, as quoted in the release. “As we deliver this advanced sonar system, Thales remains deeply committed to Canada—investing in local expertise, strengthening sovereign capabilities, and working alongside Canadian industry to safeguard the nation’s security for decades to come.”

Lockheed Martin Canada is acting as Combat Systems Integrator for the programme, leading a group of international suppliers to provide what the company calls an integrated, open-architecture solution built around the Canadian Armed Forces’ requirements. Stephen Isaacs, General Manager for Lockheed Martin Canada Rotary & Missions Systems, tied the choice to domestic industrial returns. “The River-class Destroyer Program delivers significant economic benefits to Canada, bringing advancements in Canadian technology and manufacturing all along the Canadian supply chain,” he said. “This selection is a prime example of how our partners contribute to that Canadian ecosystem.”

The interoperability argument rests on a shared design lineage. The River-class is the Canadian variant of BAE Systems’ Type 26 Global Combat Ship, the same baseline behind the Royal Navy’s City-class frigates and Australia’s Hunter-class. The S2087 is already in service with the Royal Navy and has been selected for the Hunter-class, so its adoption by Canada gives three Type 26 operators a common towed-array sonar and eases data-sharing among Five Eyes and NATO partners. The CAPTAS family itself was developed in partnership with the British, French and Italian navies, and Thales marked the order of its hundredth variable-immersion towed sonar in 2025.

The River-class will become the mainstay of the Royal Canadian Navy’s surface force, replacing the in-service Halifax-class frigates and the now-retired Iroquois-class destroyers.