Airborne UXO Surveys Using the MTADS
Abstract
An airborne version of the MTADS vehicular towed array has been developed and demonstrated with the support of ESTCP Project 200031. The system is ideally suited to localizing burial caches of ordnance and establishing areas that are uncontaminated but also retains the capability of detecting, locating, and identifying individual ordnance items the size of 2.75-in. rocket warheads and larger. The system deploys a linear array of 7 Cs-vapor magnetometers spaced at 1.5-m intervals in a forward-mounted boom on a Bell Long Ranger helicopter. Two GPS units mounted on the forward boom provide positioning and roll and yaw measurements. An inertial measurement unit and a 3-axis fluxgate gradiometer redundantly provide additional attitude measurements. Laser, radar, and acoustic altimeters provide altitude information. A pilot guidance display provides survey progress and platform information in real time. All sensor data are recorded in a data acquisition computer mounted in one of the helicopter rear seats. This report documents the performance of the Airborne MTADS at three ranges containing both live ordnance and inert, seeded ordnance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA432363
Entities
People
- David Wright
- Herbert H. Nelson
- Jim R. McDonald
Organizations
- United States Naval Research Laboratory