SBIR-STTR Award

The new joint mission scenarios and stealth interdiction objectives for the U.S. Navy have resulted in the need for improved sensor systems for operations in the littoral environment. A High Frequency Towed Array (HFRA) sonar system, operating in the same frequency band as hull mounted systems, provides better detection, classification, and localization capabilities,and reduces ship maneuverability restrictions relative to the existing towed array systems. The proposed HFTA also provides collateral application in that the system can be deployed from submarines or surface ships for tactical or survey missions, or moored horizontally or vertically to the ocean floor for monitoring marine traffic and environmental conditions. The Phase I analysis and HFTA conceptual design efforts will be performed based on over 25 years of direct experience with towed array system development and our recent delivery of a high frequency towed measurement array system to the Navy. The HFTA design will rely heavily on NDI and OOTS components employed in the towed measurement array resulting in a low risk development program. Phase !I will then develop an Advance Development Model (ADM) system with the lowest possible cost for full scale, at-sea performance demonstration and verification.

Keywords:
High Frequency Towed Array Active Adjunct Rec Passive Localization

The mission area for U.S. Navy forces afloat has shifted from the open ocean to coastal shallow water (littoral) regions. The towed sonar arrays currently in fleet service were designed to counter the open ocean threat and as a result are physically long and operate at relatively low frequencies. Unfortunately, the existing towed array systems are not optimal for littoral operations and often restrict the submarine's ability to maneuver in an already highly limiting environment. During the first phaes of this SBIR task, Applied Measurement Systems, Inc. developed a conceptual design for a High Frequency Towed Array (HFTA) sonar system designed to operate in the same frequency band as the existing hull mounted sonar systems. The ability to access in band, time synchronized HFTA and hull array data provides significant tactical improvements for littoral operations by providing: the capability to perform rapid, passive localization of targets through concurrent processing of target data; and the capability to perform coherent processing which provides additional improvements to the detection and localization capabilities. Phase II will develop a HFTA Advance Development Model (ADM) for performance demonstration and verification

Keywords:
High Frequency Towed Array Passive Localization Coherent Processing Shallow Water Active Adjunct Rec