Identify and Exploit Attributes of a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Signal to Improve Sea Mine Detection and Identification with a Low False Alarm Rate

Organic mines are serious threats to U.S. naval ships. As a result, the Navys Airborne Mine Countermeasure Systems are in place to negate these threats. One of the systems, the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS), is a mine countermeasure that is intended to detect, classify and localize sea mines. The system is mounted on the MH-60S helicopter.The heart of the ALMDS is the streak tube imaging LIDAR, which allows a high area search rate capability for reconnaissance and assessment of mine threats in littoral zones, confined straits, choke points and amphibious objective areas.One ALMDS objective is to detect mines as deep under the water surface as possible. This objective requires a detection system with a very large dynamic range when the ALMDS operates inside turbid harbors, where the laser light quickly losses its intensity in the water. Unfortunately, the streak tube has relatively low dynamic range. Therefore, there is a need to develop techniques to improve the dynamic range of the ALMDS.SA Photonics is pleased to propose the development of OPAL, which can improve the ALMDS dynamic range by more than 20 dB. OPAL is a complete add-on system; no ALMDS hardware alternation is needed.