Insertion of Surface Discharge Sparker Acoustic Sources into Submarine Countermeasures

The acoustic sources in existing submarine countermeasures are ceramic cylinders and flextensionals. Typically, several different size acoustic sources are used to produce a broadband spectrum. These acoustic sources have significant cost and size, and are relatively inefficient in the low frequency range of interest. Furthermore, currently more than one acoustic countermeasure system is required to address the entire spectrum of interest. The Surface Discharge sparker acoustic source has the potential to provide modularization, cost and size reduction, increased source level at low frequencies, enhanced capability to replicate spectra, and the ability to address the entire spectrum of interest with a single Surface Discharge source. Sparker acoustic sources have been used as noisemakers and currently are being developed to replicate ship spectra. The compactness of the Surface Discharge sparker is advantageous when volume is limited, as in submarine countermeasures. The proposed work addresses the feasibility of inserting Surface Discharge acoustic source technology into submarine acoustic countermeasures. After completing a requirements and performance analysis we will design, build and test a single Surface Discharge element module in an MK4 Acoustic Test Housing. The results will be the basis for further development in Phase II with a commercial partner.