Defense Technology International - June 2008 - (Page 32)

DISPATCHES GLOBAL SOUND APPROACH U.S. Navy may be a customer for Thales sonar technologies BILL SWEETMAN•STOCKPORT, ENGLAND Even if the Royal Navy orders three more Astutes as planned, orders will be 2-3 years apart. Moreover, the key technologies are too sensitive for export to most customers. Thales also faces challenges sustaining its workforce, with multiple industries looking for acoustics engineers. Thales is lobbying for U.K. government support, and reaching out to the only accessible market for high-end sonar—the U.S. Navy. Through a joint venture with DRS Technologies called DRS Sonar Systems (DRSS), Thales hopes some of its expertise will be applied to future Virginia-class boats. The 2076 introduced two innovations when it entered service in 2002. Billboard-sized ﬂank arrays on HMS Astute, ﬁrst submarine designed for the Thales 2076 system, was launched in 2007. Hull-side bulges cover ﬂank arrays. the side of the hull increased sensitivity and passiveranging capability, and the sonar suite was highly integrated, rather than having operators and processors dedicated to speciﬁc bands and arrays. It worked almost too well. The display system was based on 1994 technology and designed using Royal Navy experience with older systems. With 20,000 hydrophones, there was “information drowning,” Shepherd says. “We couldn’t use all the data.” The result is the Stage 5 system, the subject of a contract awarded in 2006, which uses COTS hardware and better HCI. Thales says the shift from bespoke to COTS computing became practical in the last two years, thanks to notebook-computer technology. The new embedded computer boards, produced by Germany’s Kontron AG, use Intel Core Duo chips, which require less power and less cooling. Installed in six cabinets, the system houses 200 computers and runs 10 million lines of code over a 10-Gbps. network. The processors drive 20-in. Barco displays, which give operators the ﬂexibility to combine complex noise patterns from di erent arrays in various ways. “You can go to an on-screen dashboard and build up the information you want, take down the clutter and build up the signal,” says one engineer. Developers used eye-tracking and motion sensors to reﬁne the HCI. Thales has completed a prototype thin ﬂank array, intended for Audacious, for testing on a Trafalgar boat, and supplied a thin ﬂank module to the U.S. Navy for tests. Its main advantage is lower manufacturing and installation cost. Also promoted through DRSS is technology for conformal bow arrays. The 2076 has a conformal array; the U.S. Navy uses spherical arrays, which are air-backed and expensive to install. For Virginia-class subs ordered in 2012 and later, the Navy is switching to conformal arrays. Thales believes its thinarray technology will be ready for the bow by then, further reducing costs. I BAE SYSTEMS he development of top-end submarine sonars is part high-tech, part black art and part a bespoke business with minuscule production. Which is the problem facing Thales Underwater Systems Ltd. The unit began work in the 1980s on a new sonar for the Royal Navy’s Trafalgar-class subs, to restore their edge over improved Soviet boats. The contract for the Sonar 2076 system was awarded in 1994. HMS Torbay, Trenchant and Talent operate with it, and Triumph, the fourth and last Trafalgar boat to get the system, is being modiﬁed. The 2076 is standard on the new Astute class, three of which are on order, with the contract for a fourth, Audacious, expected this year. Thales is upgrading the 2076, focusing on a better humancomputer interface (HCI) and a shift to commercial o -theshelf (COTS) hardware on the inboard side. It is due to enter service in 2009. Audacious will also feature new technology in its ﬂank arrays. But the future of the Thales sonar team is uncertain. “We will never design a system like the 2076 again,” says Underwater Systems General Manager David Shepherd. “The future is about spiral development.” 32 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2008 T AviationWeek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/dti

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Defense Technology International - June 2008 Contents Around the World Science Watch Tech Watch Basic Black Self-Defense Fire-Resistant Perfezione Hyperspeed Trial Big Sky Cashing In Digital Links Hang Ten Sea Change Programs Update Two Steps Back Direct Hit Staying Power Potent Stinger Do No Harm Guard Duty The Net Cutting Edge First Person In Review Insight

Defense Technology International - June 2008

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