Distant Thunder / NetSAT littoral water system (DARPA)

[Grey Havoc]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b84Wzh-kH_s

https://www.darpa.mil/attachments/TestimonyArchived(April%2020%201999).pdf

The Undersea Littoral Warfare (ULW) program consists of a variety of techniques and technologies specifically applicable to the unique problems associated with the littoral region. In one effort, the program developed an active acoustic system with greatly improved detection, classification, and targeting performance against low-observable submarines. The acoustic system, known as Distant Thunder, has been successfully demonstrated at sea and transitioned to Navy management last year. As an outgrowth of Distant Thunder, the program is now developing the Netted Search, Acquisition, and Targeting (NetSAT) System. NetSAT uses a bi-directional fiber-optic link to allow a torpedo to be networked with a supporting sonobuoy field during its attack on an opposing submarine. Integration of the sonobuoy and torpedo data on thehelicopter launch platform permits the operator to rapidly discern the submarine from countermeasures deployed to confuse the torpedo, ensuring that the weapon ultimately destroys the true target. In FY 2000, NetSAT will conduct its final proof-of-concept demonstration. Another technical challenge associated with naval warfare in the littoral region is finding and avoiding mines. The ULW program is determining whether advanced synthetic aperture sonar processing techniques can classify and identify underwater mines at greater search rates than ispossible with current systems. Lastly, finding quiet submarines in the littoral can be a daunting problem, especially in the vicinity of shipping channels, where noise from surface shipping often masks the returns associated with submarines. The ULW program is investigating the use of innovative, multi-dimensional receiver arrays and advanced signal processing, plus overhead surveillance reports of surface ship locations, to improve the resolution and rejection of surface ship interference in shallow water.

 

[Grey Havoc]

BBN Technologies were also pretty heavily involved in Distant Thunder from 1997 onwards (these days they are a subsidiary of Raytheon).

 

[jsport]

The Navy is rebuilding its anti-submarine tracking system

The Navy's updated Integrated Undersea Surveillance System will use drones, AI and high-tech sensors for tracking hostile vessels.

taskandpurpose.com