Northrop Grumman to Support U.S. Navy on AN/AQS-24A Airborne Minehunting
System Integration
Northrop
Grumman Corporation (NOC) has been awarded a contract to support the
U.S. Navy's integration onto an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) of the
Northrop Grumman-built AQS-24A Side Look Sonar System to look for bottom
and volume mines remotely.
(Video: Northrop Grumman)
The repackaging of the sonar for USV use will build
upon the proven capabilities of the AQS-24A. The AQS-24A and its predecessors,
the AQS-24 and the AQS-14, all built by Northrop Grumman, are airborne
minehunting search systems used by the Navy for the past 28 years. The
AQS-24A is a high-speed minehunting system that is primarily towed from
the MH-53E helicopter, but has been tested from USVs since 2002 by Northrop
Grumman. With a track record of reliability and performance across the
globe, the system's high-resolution side-scan sonar detects, localizes
and classifies both bottom and moored mines in real time at high area
coverage rates.
(Picutre: Northrop Grumman)
"This is a great step forward for those who
have been involved in USVs and minehunting for as many years as the
Naval Undersea Warfare Center and Northrop Grumman," said Tom Jones,
vice president of Northrop Grumman's Undersea Systems business unit.
"The results of this effort could apply to future USV programs,
both in the U.S. Navy as well as the navies of potential coalition partners
such as Australia."
In cooperation with the Navy and industry partners, Northrop Grumman
has operated USVs in various tests and fleet exercises that range from
remote control to autonomous operations. The Naval Undersea Warfare
Center in Newport, R.I., Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) in Panama
City, Fla., NSWC Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Md., NSWC Combatant
Craft Division in Norfolk, Va., and Northrop Grumman jointly developed
an 11-meter USV that launched, recovered and towed the AQS-24A.
