Launch Enhancements for MCM Focused Oceanographic Instrumentation

The US Navy faces serious threats from mines. Over the past 70 years, there have been three times more attacks with mines on US Navy ships than all other types of anti-ship weapons combined. Sound velocity profile (SVP) and conductivity measurements in the Mine Threat Area (MTA) are current measurements required by the LCS Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Mission Package (MP). This need is clear given the range of systems used to combat various mine threats, and the variety of maritime sensing systems used in the range of MCM operations. Boston Engineering has developed the SVP Sonde to collect critical information. Its features include remote/unattended deployment, use of a satellite communications link, multiple sensing modalities, and a low-cost variable buoyancy system to collect multiple profiles from a single device. The Launch Enhancements for MCM Focused Oceanographic Instrumentation effort will focus on expanding SVP capability for limited altitude air deployment, updating communication infrastructure to improve data speed to users, development of an MCMUSV specific launcher, pre-LRIP unit fabrication to buy down future production risk, and testing to demonstrate technical improvements.