Potential Impact of Long-Life Environmental Sonobuoys on Littoral ASW
Abstract
The focus of military activity has recently shifted from large area engagements to regional conflicts. Consequently, supportive Naval maritime operations have continued to evolve toward littoral warfare in complicated shallow-water, near-shore environments. This evolution requires new sensors, advanced Concept of Operations, and improved data-analysis capabilities, among others. Planning operations in these harsh-environment areas is difficult because accurate predictions of tactical sensor performance depend on detailed knowledge of the local environmental conditions. Tactical mission planning is thus seldom optimal or efficient, often resulting in coverage gaps, increased risk, and reduced mission success. According to a Navy Mission Need Statement, "Air ASW tactical execution, especially in littoral seas, requires in-situ environmental updates for preflight mission planning. In the conduct of ASW operations, an urgent need for explicit knowledge of environmental variables is required to optimize the effectiveness of operational acoustic sensors, as well as acoustic sensors in development." The Naval Air Systems Command has considered extended-life environmental sonobuoy concepts to better characterize the littoral environment. Most designs contain a thermistor string to measure ocean temperatures and also hydrophones to measure ambient noise. This type of complex sonobuoy would be more expensive than a traditional single-measurement AXBT but it could provide a more thorough littoral environment assessment. This paper examines the trade-off between increased sensor complexity and improved ASW performance, in terms of cumulative detection probability.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA527488
Entities
People
- Donald R. Delbalzo
- Joseph Klicka
Organizations
- Naval Air Systems Command