Acoustic Search Sensors

The Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Sensors and Processing project provides tools and methods necessary to maintain maritime superiority by preventing near-peer threat submarines from completing their hostile missions or disrupting the U.S. Navy's ability to control sea lanes of communication. Project 0480 provides funding for Engineering & Manufacturing Development and follow-on Production and Deployment of new and/or improved passive and active air ASW family of systems that enable cuing, search, detection, localization, track, and attack of subsurface targets. Smaller and quieter threat submarines drive requirements for continued advancement in ASW sensor capabilities for both open-ocean and littoral environments in order to overcome challenges associated with reduced target acoustic signatures and increased background clutter caused by the water depth, high volume of shipping, and commercial radio frequency interference. Multistatic Active Coherent Enhancements (MAC-E): PE 0604261N funds the incorporation of the capability into the P-8A Acoustic Operating Flight Program (AOFP), integration of the AOFP into the P-8A Mission suite and associated training system and Post Flight Analysis (PFA) tool updates. The remainder of the integration into the P-8A platform is accomplished via PE 0605504N. UnderSea Advantage (USA): USA is the next generation of multistatics. USA incorporates an incremental improvement upon the existing system and will be accomplished via three blocks. The first block (USAB1) adds the Digital DIFAR Vertical Line Array (DDVLA) sonobuoy (SSQ-145) and software modifications to meet required capability performance metrics. USAB1 will be funded in the following manner: Early development and technology maturation efforts are funded under PE 0603254N, and PE 0604261N funds the incorporation of the capability into the P-8A AOFP and integration of the AOFP into the P-8A Mission suite. 0604261N also funds the associated training system and Post Flight Analysis (PFA) tool updates. The remainder of the integration into the P-8A platform is accomplished via PE 0605504N.

Key Enablers and Sonobuoy Enhancements (KESE) provides increased P-8A operational flexibility and effectiveness throughout the kill chain. Funding addresses key enablers such as, uplink/downlink sonobuoy communications assurance, acoustic communications (ACOMMS) on Increment 3 Block 1 (I3B1) aircraft via FR-115 and P8A Increment 3 Block 2 (I3B2) aircraft and sonobuoy enhancements that include: link availability and assurance, cyber protection and the integration into the AOFP software.