Published:
Wednesday, 15 November 2017 10:38
The remote detection and tracking of submerged contacts,
such as submarines, was demonstrated using an MQ-9 Predator® B Remotely Piloted
Aircraft (RPA) during a U.S. Naval exercise on October 12th. General Atomics
Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) participated in this successful
demonstration of new maritime patrol capabilities that included anti-submarine
warfare.
Screenshot from Ultra
Electronics video showing notional MQ-9 in ASW mission with small size
sonobuyos.
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Sonobuoys were deployed by U.S. Navy helicopters and
acoustic data gathered from the sonobuoys were used to track underwater
targets. The data was transmitted to the MQ-9 and processed onboard, then
relayed to the MQ-9’s Ground Control Station (GCS) several hundred miles away
from the target area. The event successfully paired sonobuoy receiver, supplied
by Ultra Electronics, and data processing technology, provided by General
Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, onboard the MQ-9. A track solution was
calculated and transmitted from the aircraft to the Ground Control Station
(GCS) via SATCOM. This technology will provide long-range patrol and relay
capabilities to the MQ-9 to augment maritime mission sets.
“This test demonstrated the ability of our RPA to detect submarines and provide persistent tracking of submerged targets,” said Linden Blue, CEO, GA-ASI.
The MQ-9 was also equipped with GA-ASI’s Lynx® Multi-mode Radar. The Lynx radar featured its Maritime Wide-area Search (MWAS) mode, which detects maritime surface targets over a wide area with Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) for target classification. The aircraft’s Electro-optical/Infrared (EO/IR), high-definition Full-motion Video (FMV) camera supports the identification of surface vessels. These sensor contacts are correlated with the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to verify target identity. Additionally, the MQ-9 can be fitted with a centerline pod that can house a longer-range, 360-degree field of regard maritime surface search radar for enhanced surveillance over water.
The flight test was conducted over the Southern California Offshore Range (SCORE) west of San Clemente Island.
Original post: navyrecognition.com
Ultra Electronics special pods
The event successfully paired sonobuoy receiver, supplied
by Ultra Electronics, and data processing technology, provided by General
Dynamics Mission Systems-Canada, onboard the MQ-9. A track solution was
calculated and transmitted from the aircraft to the Ground Control Station
(GCS) via SATCOM. This technology will provide long-range patrol and relay
capabilities to the MQ-9 to augment maritime mission sets. Ultra Electronics
has also developed special pods enabling autonomous deployment of sonobuoys by
the drone itself, enabling naval forces to cover larger sea areas more rapidly. Source: defense-update.com
Ultra Electronics has also
developed special pods enabling autonomous deployment of sonobuoys by the drone
itself, enabling naval forces to cover larger sea areas more rapidly. Photo:
Ultra Electronics
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