HYDROACOUSTIC MONITORING

Ship-of-Opportunity Installation

Hydroacoustic Node

Surveillance systems are designed to detect the presence of targets of interest either by passive or active means. L-3 MariPro has long been involved in a number of programs using passive detection. These programs include area surveillance, harbor intruder detection, impact detection and location, and monitoring for treaty violations. These systems utilize design elements common to the undersea range systems including sensors, cables and cable sealing technology, long life pressure vessels and deployment packaging, fiber telemetry, signal processing optics and complex in-water installations.

Typically in such systems, hydrophones are positioned near the sound channel axis. These omni-directional low frequency units are cabled to shore where the signals are authenticated and passed over a satellite link to a processing site. Here the signals are examined to differentiate low frequency sounds such as those generated by earthquakes or from the signature of a nuclear device being detonated underwater. The units are deployed in groups of three for redundancy and to measure the direction of the acoustic source. System installation is performed at remote sites around the globe, requiring careful attention to logistical planning for successful implementations.