The Estonian Navy has awarded a contract to Thales to provide 12 months of technical and maintenance support to two mine countermeasures vessels (MCMVs), ENS Admiral Cowan and ENS Sakala.

The two vessels serving with the Estonian fleet are former Royal Navy Sandown Class vessels, which were decommissioned and sold to Estonia in 2006.

The contract focuses on providing operational support and upgrades to Thales’s Sonar 2093 system as well as support to Estonian Navy in creating an indigenous sonar support capability in future years.

Sonar 2093 is a variable-depth sonar system designed for detection and classification of bottom and moored mines, and can be optimised for use in littoral and open-ocean waters.

The new contract has a performance period until December 2011.