Fat Line Towed Array Straightening System

The Navy relies on positioning, detection, and guidance data provided by Fat Line towed arrays. This information provides safety from potential threats and mission capability. The accuracy of this data depends on the array's being straight and not drooping; these conditions are readily met at high speeds but not at low speeds. To maintain Fat Line array capabilities at low tow speeds and in shallow water, where droop could lead to array damage by hitting the marine floor, TIAX proposes to develop a Fat Line array correction system which reduces front to back droop through an engineered lift producing concept, and minimizes off-axis drift by employing stabilizing measures built into the concept. Three dimensional modeling, preliminary proof-of-concept demonstration, and stability analysis of TIAX's lift producing concept will determine feasibility of TIAX"s solution to provide sufficient lift and straightening to meet the Navy's needs at low tow speeds.