Mounting of Acoustic Vector Sensors on UUVs

Vector sensors have been shown to operate very effectively in free field applications and are showing promise in the area of towed array configurations. The four channel (combination three axis accelerometers and hydrophone) sensors allow narrower beams to be generated with a smaller number of senors over a smaller foot print than can be obtained from simple hydrophones; however, they have been shown to be senitive to vibrations when rigidly mounted to moving platforms. The effort would support the development of mounting systems that could be faired into the hull of an ASW support UUV and provide isolation from hull vibrations