SUBMARINE COUNTER MEASURES AGAINST NEW TECHNOLOGY ACTIVE SONARS

NEW TECHNOLOGY ACTIVE SONARS REPRESENT AN INCREASINGLY DANGEROUS THREAT TO THE US SUBMARINE FLEET. JAMMING AND OTHER COUNTERMEASURE STRATEGIES ARE NEEDED TO RENDER THIS TECHNOLOGY INEFFECTIVE. INNOVATIVE TECHNIQUES FOR SELF-SCREENING JAMMING, STAND-OFF JAMMING, AND EVASIVEMANEUVERING ARE PROPOSED ALONG WITH A METHODOLOGY FOR IDENTIFYING ADDITIONAL ALTERNATIVES AND METHODS FOR EVALUATION. NULLIFICATION OF THE THREAT FROM BOTH MONOSTATIC AND MULTISTATIC SONARS IS CONSIDERED ALONG WITH THE CONSEQUENT VULNERABILITY TO COMPLEMENTARY PASSIVE SONARS. ONE IMMEDIATE CONSEQUENCE OF THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS PRESENTED HERE IS THAT A SINGLE, MONOSTATIC ACTIVE SONAR CAN BE READILY JAMMED WITH ONLY THE MOST MODEST EQUIPMENT ON BOARD A TARGET SUBMARINE. ANOTHER CONSEQUENCE IS THAT A SPATIALLY-DIVERSE MULTISTATIC SONAR SYSTEM WITH INTER-RECEIVER PASSIVE PROCESSING CAPABILITY (INCLUDING DIRECT-BLAST PROCESSING) DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN THE PRESENCE OF ACOUSTIC COUNTERMEASURES CAN PROBABLY BE DEFEATED ONLY WITH MULTIPLE, SOPHISTICATED, STAND-OFF JAMMERS.