Nova Scotia defence company earns 'Ultra' big contract

Ultra Electronics Maritime Systems Inc. was recently awarded a contract to refurbish four towed sonar arrays for Navy submarines, a job that's valued at around $7 million, according to The Chronicle Herald. Ultra Electronics Canada, which is based in Dartmouth, is a branch of British defence firm, Ultra Electronics plc. that designs and manufactures sonar, sensors, wireless initiators, radios and software for aerospace and defence purposes. 

To complete the work on these vessels so they will be ready to get back out to sea, Ultra plans to assign 15 employees internally to the project and acquire supplies from local vendors such as MacKenzie Atlantic in Musquodoboit Harbour and Alloy Concepts in Dartmouth, the source adds, quoting Woodside firm head Ken Walker. For instance, the arrays used in the work will be tested in Woodside at Composites Atlantic's lab.

"We try and keep our supply chain as local as possible," Walker said, explaining the decision. 

Nova Scotia has a strong defence, security and aerospace sector that can tackle large contract jobs. The industry has a workforce that's more than 6,000 members strong and the province has a solid infrastructure that includes expertise in ship and aircraft maintenance, shipbuilding and naval technologies, advanced manufacturing and electronics and IT application development and simulation.