UTC
Aerospace Systems has delivered, on schedule and on budget, the first
sonar dome rubber window to the U.S. Navy on a new five-year indefinite
delivery, indefinite quantity contract. This delivery marks the 345th
surface ship sonar dome rubber window delivered to support the Navy
Fleet. UTC Aerospace Systems' Engineered Polymer Products (EPP) team
in Jacksonville, Florida, has supplied sonar domes for FFG-7, DDG-51,
and CG-47 class ships to the U.S. Navy and allied navies for more than
50 years. EPP is part of the Aerostructures business of UTC Aerospace
Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. |
The EPP
team began its initial manufacture of the sonar dome rubber windows
in 1964 out of its Akron, Ohio, facility. These sonar domes were shipped
by C-5A military transport aircraft from Akron to Virginia, then barged
to the different shipyards building the cruisers and destroyers for
the U.S. Navy. EPP moved to its present Jacksonville location in 1987.
Located on Blount Island, EPP is situated next to a deep water port,
where ships and barges can dock to transport sonar domes for delivery
to the shipyards, thus saving taxpayer money through lower shipping
costs.
Mounted on the bow of destroyers and cruisers, a sonar dome rubber window
is an acoustically transparent housing that surrounds the sonar transducer
array, forming the sonar's sensor system. The dome protects the ship's
sonar array, and offers minimum interference with the sound transmission
and reception needed to enhance detection and classification of underwater
targets. EPP pioneered the development of rubber wire-reinforced surface
ship sonar domes for anti-submarine surface combatants. The rubber's
unique energy absorption and reflection properties enhance the ship's
detection capability.
Designed and built to last, EPP's sonar domes are one of the ship's
most durable components, with a number of domes in service on U.S. Navy
vessels more than 25 years old. "The drive for continuous improvement
by our team at EPP and endless focus on improving our sonar systems
technology, combined with the development of innovative processing techniques,
uniquely positions us to offer superior acoustic technologies,"
said Marc Duvall, president, Aerostructures. "Our proven capabilities
and outstanding focus on quality have assisted in our efforts to remain
the exclusive supplier of the sonar dome rubber window in support of
the U.S. Navy."
EPP also provides its customers with field services for the installation,
inspection and repair of its sonar domes. With its staff of experienced
engineers and technicians, EPP's field service professionals are available
to be deployed around the world, 365 days a year, to ensure reliable
quality performance. |
