Thales and FEBUS Optics sign strategic co-development agreement to protect critical undersea infrastructure

• Thales has concluded an agreement with FEBUS Optics, a French company specialising in innovative sensing systems based on Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing (DFOS) technologies, to co-develop a new breed of critical infrastructure monitoring solutions.
• Under the agreement, the partners will combine their expertise to develop advanced solutions to protect critical undersea infrastructure (CUI).
• The research and development partnership is a clear opportunity to create distinctive, rapidly deployable solutions for the expanding CUI protection market.

Thales has teamed with FEBUS Optics, a breakthrough tech company based in France, to co-develop innovative solutions to monitor critical undersea infrastructure (CUI) and create rapidly deployable solutions to address the fast-expanding CUI protection market.

Monitoring and securing critical undersea infrastructure is now a key priority, and in the current geopolitical climate it is becoming increasingly important to overcome the technological challenges of CUI protection to address this growing market. Undersea infrastructure such as communication cables, power lines and pipelines typically spans long distances, and monitoring these installations under extreme environmental conditions is a particularly complex undertaking calling for innovative solutions capable of guaranteeing their integrity and security.

As a world leader in underwater detection, Thales clearly has a role to play in meeting this challenge. The Group recently concluded a co-development agreement with FEBUS Optics, a recognised leader in Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing (DFOS) systems, to leverage the firm's high-performance Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) interrogator technology.

FEBUS Optics' DAS interrogator technology is easy and inexpensive to deploy and only requires single-ended connection to the optical fibre sensing cable. It detects acoustic signals generated on or around the installation being monitored, exploiting the principle of light backscattering in the optical fibre to monitor activity seamlessly along the entire length of the infrastructure and ensure early detection and precise geolocation of any anomalies.

Thales will combine the acoustic data gathered using FEBUS Optics technology with its expertise in sonar array design and acoustic signal analysis to propose an integrated solution that adds new functionality to its BlueGuard surveillance system and allows for seamless monitoring of the volume of water surrounding critical undersea infrastructure.

The partnership will enable Thales and FEBUS Optics to focus part of their respective R&D efforts on a new breed of dedicated solutions that overcome the operational challenges of CUI protection. It will also further the development of France's defence industrial and technological base and help to support the growth trajectory of FEBUS Optics, which is based in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwest France.

"FEBUS Optics' technology is recognised for its capacity to extract acoustic signals from an optical fibre, and Thales will draw on its experience in the design and operation of sonar arrays to exploit these signals for operational monitoring applications. This combined expertise will allow us to develop highly capable maritime surveillance solutions to protect and secure critical undersea infrastructure," said Marc Delorme, Director, Unmanned Systems for Underwater and Seabed Warfare, Thales Underwater Systems.

"We will be leveraging the highly complementary nature of our technology expertise to develop dedicated solutions for monitoring critical undersea infrastructure. Through this partnership, Thales will help FEBUS Optics to expand into a new market by meeting the exacting requirements of the defence sector," added Etienne Almoric, CEO of FEBUS Optics.