Compact Towed Sonar Array

Towed arrays for unmanned U. S. Navy platforms require engineering breakthroughs in a number of critical components due to the demands of reduced stowage volume, ¡Ü 0.5¡_ OD array diameter, low cost and improved directional and self-noise performance imposed by UUV/USV¡_s in the performance of their missions. Progeny proposes a system solution based on leveraging new, sufficiently mature sensing, array electro-mechanical, COTS electronics and processing technologies that support a near-term, integrated, open system solution. Key elements of the our approach include: a novel miniaturized vector sensor using single piezocrystal material, an autonomous beamforming and detection processing module being developed for distributed sensor networks, a truly protocol-independent, miniaturized towed array telemetry, and a deployment mechanism capable of handling ¡Ü 0.5¡_ OD arrays already under development by Progeny for surveillance programs. Our proposed array-related technologies and design approach are compatible with ongoing Navy low-cost towed array manufacturing initiatives. An option is proposed to demonstrate two key component technologies within 3 months of option exercise.