British Army’s new SONUS system will use acoustic pressure to track enemy artillery

The British Army is getting a new counter-artillery system designed to locate and track enemy guns and mortars quicker.

Troops from the 5th Regiment Royal Artillery will be receiving the SONUS system, a new counter-artillery device designed to help locate enemy gun and mortar positions quicker and safer.

The SONUS system works by detecting acoustic pressure waves from artillery guns and mortars, and from explosions.

The counter-artillery system is also safer for troops as operating it does not reveal its own location. By using acoustic pressure as the method of detection, the SONUS does not rely on electronic means and thus does not emit an electronic signature that an adversary can pick up and track.

Designed and manufactured by Leonardo, the new counter-artillery system is half the size of its predecessor, the Hostile Artillery Location system (HALO), and also 70% lighter. This will makes it significantly easier for troops to carry and operate it. The contract is worth £18.3 million (nearly $25 million).

“This investment in Leonardo’s SONUS Acoustic Weapon Locating System demonstrates the Army’s commitment to delivering cutting-edge technology to the front line,” Brigadier Matthew Birch, Senior Responsible Owner for the Land ISTAR Programme, said in a government press release.

“It will significantly enhance our ability to protect our people and respond to emerging threats, ensuring the Army remains ready to meet the challenges of the future,” he added.

The 5th Regiment Royal Artillery is the British Army’s only surveillance and target-acquisition unit. The unit provides counter-artillery and specialist weapon-locating capabilities to the 1st Deep Reconnaissance Strike Brigade Combat Team.

The British Army uses three artillery guns: The L118 105mm light gun, which is mainly used by Parachute and Royal Marines Commandos units; the Archer 155mm self-propelled howitzer, which replaced the AS 90 that were transferred to Ukraine; and finally, the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) that fires precision rocket artillery munitions.

The British Army is also working with its German counterpart on the RCH-155 155mm self-propelled howitzer for the main artillery gun of the future.

Data from the war in Ukraine indicate that artillery remains the deadliest weapon on the battlefield there.

Both combatants are using artillery to a degree not seen in a conventional European conflict since World War II. Indeed, during some days of intense fighting, it is not unusual for the Russian forces to fire upwards of 20,000 artillery rounds and the Ukrainians to respond with around 7,000.

The widespread use of artillery on the battlefield highlights the important of counter-artillery systems that can quickly pinpoint an enemy gun and provide the necessary data for its elimination with counter-artillery fire.

To be sure, self-propelled howitzers that can fire and move, and multiple launch rocket systems that can fire rockets and speed away are hard to counter with any technology. But towed artillery weapons continue to exist in very large numbers, thus making counter-artillery technology still relevant even in the modern battlefield.

Feature Image: Leonardo graphic depicting the SONUS counter artillery system. (Leonardo UK)

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