Advances in Technology

&
Multistatic Sonar

“PERVASIVE SOUND”

Mark Merrifield – Strategy Director

Alan Wignall – Technical Director
 The Challenge
 Submarine advantages
 Legacy equipment
 The Enablers
 The Transformation
 Operational concepts
 Processing & displays
 Submarine advantages
 Stealth
 Endurance
 Lethality
 Flexibility
 Multiple Platforms
 Multiple Sensors
 Acoustic
 Hull-Mounted Sonar
 Variable Depth Sonar
 Dipping Sonar
 Sonobuoys
 Fixed Arrays
 Non-Acoustic
 Radar
 ESM
 Magnetic Anomaly
 Intelligence
 Recognise limitations of legacy
ASW sonar:
 High power ship-centric sonar
 Helicopter dipping sonar
 Passive and active airborne sonar

 Exploit available technologies &

systems:
 Deployable sensors, from MPAs, Helos,
UAVs, ships
 Digital sensors and communications
 COTS PC processing power
 COTS mission system architectures
 System & software development tools

 Build on existing products &

skills:
 Sonobuoy systems (buoys, telemetry,
processing)
 Integrated Sonar System (ISS)
 Surface Ship Torpedo Defence (SSTD)
 Active Buoy Spacing
3,000y – 4000y
Passive Buoy Spacing
1,000y – 2000y
 Active Low-Frequency
Buoys (ALFEA)

Passive Buoys (HIDAR)

 Active Low-Frequency
Buoys (ALFEA)

Passive Buoys (HIDAR)

 Single Ship
 Multiple Frequency Hull-Mounted Sonar
 Multiple Frequency Variable Depth Sonar
 Directional Passive Towed Array
 Bistatic HMS – VDS operation
 Multistatic distributed sensor operation
 One Sonar – Multiple Sensors
 Correlation with geographic data and non-acoustic sensors
 Incorporates torpedo detection, classification & localisation
 Can include torpedo countermeasures (towed & expendable)
 Increased detection opportunities
 Increased probability of detection
 Detection on multiple sensors concurrently
 Classification aid
 Enhanced tracking
 Multiple ship operation
 All ASW assets
 Ships
 Patrol Boats
 Auxiliaries
 ASW aircraft
 Utility aircraft
 A single operator can effectively manage up to four sonars
 Probability of tracking rather than probability of detection
 Animated, interactive, geographical, persistent surveillance
 A single display shows the output of all sensors
 Geographical representation with chart underlays for track orientation and correlation
 Drill-down & drill-up to detailed active and passive classification displays
 Legacy standalone sonar systems will evolve into integrated and
distributed sonar systems
 Wide area persistent surveillance will be achieved using smaller less
powerful systems, by creating Pervasive Sound zones (diversity in
frequency, space, and time)
 The necessary new sonar processing and display concepts, which
provide geographic, animated, interactive, persistent surveillance,
are enabled by modern PC-based processing power
 Advances in Technology
&
Multistatic Sonar

“PERVASIVE SOUND”

Mark Merrifield – Strategy Director

Alan Wignall – Technical Director