High Gain Array of Velocity Sensors

The majority of present production sonobuoys are packaged in air-deployable, A-sized housings and are deployed as free-floating passive acoustic sensors. They provide good detection capability in a wide range of noise and threat environments but there are noise environments where improved detection capability is desirable. To provide the improved detection, compatible new designs are needed that take advantage of DIFAR sensor elements in vertical line arrays with enhanced processing to provide high array gains for a variety of noise and threat environments and operating depths. This new sonobuoy will have the capability to operate in both shallow and deep water. The primary goal for this Phase II effort is to design and develop the 1st prototype of the Digital DIFAR Vertical Line Array (DDVLA) sonobuoy and to conduct the 1st at-sea demonstration test of the DDVLA to identify functionality and performance status in an ocean environment. If this A-size DDVLA sonobuoy can be realized at a reasonable cost, then the path to provide the Navy a solution that significantly enhances its ASW capabilities may be realized.