High Strain Composite Boom Deployed Volumetric Sonobuoy Array

The Department of the Navy (DON) has a national security related need for highly compactible deployable structures for air-deployed canister sonobuoys. These systems must stow compactly within the confines of a A-type sonobuoy canister, deploy and position a volumetric array of sensor nodes that acoustically detect submarine engine noise. As submarines continue to reduce noise outputs to enhance stealth, sensor arrays must be larger, more sensor dense and distributed more broadly in contested areas. Sonobuoy systems are deployed from patrol aircraft or helicopters and position themselves from 100ft. to 1,000 ft. below the surface. Due to this broad depth of operation, sonobuoy deployable systems must be structurally robust to survive loads enacted by waves, surface currents and shear currents at varying depths. To address the DON’s two top priorities; sonobuoy systems less than $500 and compactly packaging highly expandable deployable array structures, Opterus proposes the High Strain Composite the (HSC) boom deployed volumetric array. The concept uses a stabilization weight to tension an array of sensors in a cylindrical shape. The deployable boom structures at the top and bottom of the array maintain the cylinder shape. In the Phase I effort Opterus will critically focus on concept design of three-dimensional, volumetric sonobuoy deployable array to advance the capability of current state of the art systems. The composite material systems will be evaluated and vetted for performance in an undersea, conductive fluid that creates a highly corrosive environment. Working closely with its commercialization and transition partner Opterus will conceptualize several deployable array layouts, sensor packaging, and manufacturing approaches to achieve the low-cost objective of less than $500 per system.