Lockheed Martin sail-mounted submarine sonar to provide 360-degree underwater situational awareness
WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy undersea warfare experts are asking Lockheed Martin Corp. to provide special submarine sonar systems to help enable submarine commanders to enhance their tactical control when operating in harbors, shallow-water coastal areas, and in the open ocean.
Officials of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington announced a $7.1 million order Tuesday to the Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems segment in Liverpool, N.Y., to build additional Low-Cost Conformal Array (LCCA) sonar systems for high-frequency sonar coverage above and behind the submarine.
The LCCA is to be mounted on both sides of the submarine sail aboard Improved Los Angeles class fast attack submarines (SSN 688i), earlier-model 688-class boats, Seawolf-class attack submarines (SSN 21), Virginia-class attack submarines (SSN 774), and Ohio-class guided-missile submarines.
Combined with the legacy high frequency sail array mounted in the front of the sail, the system provides 360-degree detection capability and situational awareness with high frequency passive sonar.
The LCCA is designed to help submarine commanders navigate safely among conventional and nuclear submarines and surface warships, as well as civil and commercial surface vessels by alerting submarine crews of short-range contacts.
The submarine will process LCCA signals with the on-board AN/BQQ-10 Acoustic Rapid COTS Insertion sonar system, otherwise known as A-RCI, which is for sonar signal processing using rapidly upgradable commercial off-the-shelf signal-processing and computer equipment.
On this contract, Lockheed Martin engineers will do the work in Liverpool and Owego N.Y.; and Marion, Mass., and should be finished by March 2020. For more information contact Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems online at www.lockheedmartin.com, or Naval Sea Systems Command at www.navsea.navy.mil.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
