In-Harbor/At-Sea Ship Defense

Terrorists can employ small water craft, boats, submersibles and swimmers to detonate explosives along side ships, or attach devices to the hull above or below the waterline. Ship defense against “asymmetrical threat” targets such as multiple small boats in the complex littoral environment are made difficult by the limited capability of shipboard sensors to detect these targets among waves, among other traffic, and against the littoral background. Air assets have a much better line of sight to detect these targets, but maintaining a LAMPS helicopter in an overwatch station continuously requires enormous resources and diverts a valuable asset from other important missions. Advanced Acoustic Concepts will develop a In-Harbor and At-Sea Ship Defense system for a real-time environment twenty-four hours a day seven days a week in all weather conditions. This system will identify approaching vessels and swimmers on the surface or submerged and will focus on early detection of approaching vessels or swimmers to preclude damage to naval vessels. Sensors/systems employed to counter this threat will have minimal impact on the environment (geologic and biologic) and will not alter or inhibit standard in-port routines such as taking on fuel, stores or personnel, or normal peacetime underway steaming.