The proposed research offers an innovative approach to distributed maritime target sensing that centers on the development of a new Mid Frequency Active Sonobuoy (MFAS) that combines an efficient coherent source and directional receiver in a single A-size package. Of particular relevance is the challenge of designing a capable MFAS with suitable acoustic receiver aperture, source level, processing, communications, and life in a cost effective package. To meet this challenge, AcornSI has teamed with Sparton Corporation/ERAPSCO and BAE Systems to provide a best of breed solution that takes maximum advantage of previous Navy investments while simultaneously incorporating breakthroughs in both acoustic sources and sensing. In addition to sonobuoy design, the AcornSI team will also focus on assuring interoperability with legacy Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) systems and platforms and will develop coordinated multi-platform MFAS based concepts of operations. Key to this interoperability will be incorporation of advanced in-buoy signal processing along with optimal use of limited bandwidth communication links.
Benefit: Proliferation of incresingly stealthy undersea threats, including traditional manned submarines, mini submarines, and unmanned underwater vechicles, pose a growing challenge to existing passive and active ASW systems. Distributed multi-platform and off-board multistatic sensing systems offer Navy the potential for greatly improved detection, classification, localization and tracking (DCLT) compared to single platform centric and/or monostatic systems.
Keywords: acoustic receiver, acoustic receiver, Multi-Platform, mid-frequency, Sonobuoy, Multi-static, acoustic source
