British Tods Defence has started producing composite sonar shrouds for the British Type 26 frigate, and plans to deliver them in mid-2020. The composite sonar shroud is composed of carbon fiber and epoxy resin, and is formed by resin film infiltration process (RIF). Compared with molding processes such as hand layup and vacuum injection, the resin film infiltration process can improve production efficiency and accuracy, and reduce acoustic signal loss. Tods defense company claims that the resin film infiltration process requires less temperature and pressure than the aviation industry, so there is no need for an autoclave. In the future, Tods Defense will continue to improve production equipment to achieve mass production of large composite sonar shrouds. In addition, Tods Defense Company also signed a production contract with the Norwegian Navy at the end of 2018 to provide sonar shrouds for the "Southern" class frigates.
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