Target Localization Using Multi-Static Sonar with Drifting Sonobuoys

Future Air ASW will be conducted at higher altitudes, making visual, Mark-On-Top and RF techniques less accurate for receiver localization. Alternatives such as installing GPS receivers in the sonobuoys suffer from high cost or are easily jammed. Recent news reports concerning North Korea"s jamming of joint US-South Korea military exercises highlights the vulnerability of our defense systems to GPS denial, and makes it critical to find alternate solutions that do not rely on GPS. What is needed are techniques that can provide buoy and target localization using acoustic information. Traditional acoustic stabilization techniques typically update only the relative geometry of the sensor field. Absolute positions depend on initial drop accuracy which at high altitudes is going to be challenging. Field ocean currents will also introduce errors that traditional acoustic buoy stabilization techniques cannot overcome. Signal Systems Corporation is developing a new and innovative acoustic approach of buoy and target localization to provide absolute target geo-location without visual, RF or GPS inputs. In Phase I we accomplished our basic algorithm development and using real at-sea data and bathymetry data demonstrated that our approach has merit. Phase II will focus on bringing this technology to Technology Readiness Level 6.