Combat Systems: Status of the Navy's Airborne Low Frequency Sonar Program.

摘要

The Airborne Low Frequency Sonar system is being designed to provide a long-range active search capability to detect, localize, and classify sub-surface threats. The sonar is a dipping sonar, which is an acoustic sensor that is lowered into the water from a helicopter, searches for submarine sounds, and then is raised back into the helicopter by cable. The sounds detected by the sonar are analyzed by an acoustic processor on board the helicopter. This system can also process and display data obtained from sonobuoys, another device used to detect enemy submarines. The sonar can operate in a passive or active mode. A passive sonar listens for noises generated from submarines, whereas an active sonar transmits sounds that reflect off large objects in the water. The Navy developed the sonar system primarily to replace the AN/AQS-13F dipping sonar system on the SH-60F helicopter, which is deployed on aircraft carriers. The system was also developed to supplement active and passive sonobuoys on the SH-60B helicopter, which is deployed from surface ships.