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Northrop Grumman Corporation has used the Royal Australian Navy’s Autonomous Warrior 2018 exercise to showcase the AQS-24B mine hunting system in Jervis Bay.
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The Northrop Grumman remote controlled Mine Hunting Unmanned Surface Vessel (MHU), with the AQS-24B mine hunting sensor, demonstrated a safe standoff mine hunting and undersea surveillance capability targeted at addressing three key aspects of the mine warfare challenge:
- Reducing the mine clearance timeline;
- Accurate detection, localisation, classification and identification of undersea objects of interest; and
- Improving crew safety by keeping the sailor out of the minefield.
Alan Lytle, vice president, undersea systems at Northrop Grumman, said, "The demonstration highlighted Northrop Grumman’s leading role in proving the operational utility of unmanned maritime systems in the mine warfare domain."
The AQS-24B system includes the world’s first combined operational high-speed synthetic aperture sonar and an optical laser line scan sensor, which provides complete coverage out to maximum range on a single pass. The real time analysis capability demonstrated how unmanned systems can augment manned mine warfare operations.
"At operational speeds significantly higher than other mine hunting systems on the market, the USV/AQS-24B combination successfully completed a number of scenarios and challenges that were set by the Royal Australian Navy’s exercise command task group," Lytle added.
The MHU was outfitted with L3 ASV’s ‘ASView’ unmanned control system, which provided the capability to control the vessel from a remote location with minimal human oversight.
ASView’s situational awareness displays provided the remote captain full control and awareness to safely execute dynamic demands of mine warfare missions.
Larry Karl, vice president and general manager, L3 ASV, said, "L3 ASV is excited to be supporting Northrop Grumman’s mine hunting system with our unmanned surface vehicle technology.
"This operation has demonstrated the flexibility of the system which will enable it to support future mine hunting and defence applications."
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike, and logistics and modernisation to customers worldwide.
