At
Lima 2013, Sonardyne International Ltd. will be introducing its new
Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Sonar (NOAS) to the Asian defence
industry. Taking place at the purpose-built Mahsuri International Exhibition
Centre from 26th-30th March, Sonardyne will also be displaying its Sentinel
diver detection sonar on Stand A34.
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Designed
for use on submersible vehicles, NOAS enables faster, safer and more
efficient navigation by detecting and classifying potentially hazardous
underwater obstacles in its path. It provides a unique combination of
very long range 2D navigation performance, 3D object detection and class
leading intruder detection in a single compact sonar. In 2D mode NOAS
provides the crucial long range navigation information enabling underwater
vessels to steer a safe course. When combined with its 3D capability,
the sonar scans the water column to enable more detailed detection and
classification of obstacles, and the seabed, in front of the vehicle.
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The first
in a family of products, NOAS has been specifically developed for installation
on manned submersibles and swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs) where available
space and power is often restricted. With this in mind, the compact
subsea housing contains the 2D array, front-end electronics and processing
whilst a separate projector is used if the optional 3D capability is
required. NOAS feeds fully-processed sonar images to, and is controlled
by, the host platform’s own control system, allowing the user
to customise the operator displays to meet the specific needs of the
platform and its operational requirements.
Rob Balloch, Strategic Development and Marketing Director at Sonardyne
said, “Conventional obstacle avoidance sonars have an operating
range of just a few hundred metres so their use is often limited to
navigating an SDV or submersible during its final approach to the target.
With a range of 1,500 metres and a wide field of view, NOAS redefines
the capabilities of forward look sonar technology, allowing pilots to
navigate their vehicles at speed with confidence and accuracy.”
NOAS has been engineered by the same team that developed the company’s
market leading Sentinel diver detection sonar that will be on show at
the event and this capability has also been incorporated into the system.
When the vessel is at a standstill or moving slowly, NOAS continuously
monitors the surrounding area for underwater targets and the potential
threat they present. The low false alarm detection capabilities of NOAS
ensure that only genuine tracks with threatening intent are displayed.
“We’re excited to be bringing this new generation technology
to the market and with LIMA being a premier maritime defence event for
the region, it is the perfect opportunity for introducing NOAS and its
multi-platform applications,” concluded Rob.
Visit Sonardyne during LIMA'13 on stand A34. |
