Canadian sonar manufacturer invests in centre of excellence. Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems intends to transform an existing facility in Novia Scotia into a global sonar centre of excellence, the company announced on 16 March. The Dartmouth facility will be significantly modernised, ‘reconfigured for expanded capacity, and networked to Ultra’s other sonar sites in the United Kingdom and Australia’, Ultra added, as it seeks to develop export sales to its Five Eyes alliance customers. The investment plan, potentially costing C$20 million ($16 million), follows recent contract awards for Ultra to provide its hull-mounted and variable-depth sonars for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) programme.