Click here - to select or create a menu

Naval News

DSEI Japan 2023
  • News
  • Event News
    • SNA 2023
    • Euronaval 2022
    • Indo Pacific 2022
    • Sea Air Space 2022
    • DIMDEX 2022
  • Interviews
  • Videos
  • Advertising
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Home» News»US Navy completes AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar developmental testing
The US Navy announced completion of developmental testing for the AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar system at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Feb. 26.
A rendering of the US Navy's AN/AQS-20C towed sonar (Credit: Raytheon)

US Navy completes AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar developmental testing

The US Navy announced completion of developmental testing for the AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar system at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, Feb. 26.

Naval News Staff 27 Feb 2019

The AQS-20C is the next generation of the AN/AQS-20 system designed to be incorporated into the Littoral Combat Ship Mine Countermeasures Mission Package. The system consists of four sonar arrays: two side-looking arrays; a gap-filler sonar array; and a forward-looking sonar array providing simultaneous detection, localization and classification of bottom mines, close-tethered moored mines and volume-moored mines. 

The system delivers high-definition images of bottom mines, providing the operator with both range and contrast data that combine to form a three-dimensional image during post-mission analysis to aid in mine identification.

Developmental testing verifies that a system’s design meets all technical specifications, and that all contract requirements have been met. During testing the Raytheon-developed towed sonar sensor conducted 12 underway missions in various operational modes and at different depths at four separate NSWC PCD test ranges. The missions were conducted aboard the test vessel M/V Patriot.

The AQS-20C will now be integrated with and deployed from the Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MCM USV), a long-endurance, semi-autonomous, diesel-powered, all-aluminum surface craft that supports the employment of various mine countermeasure payloads. The MCM USV can be launched and recovered by the LCS, from other vessels of opportunity or from shore sites to provide minesweeping, mine-hunting and mine neutralization capabilities. The MCM USV is currently undergoing developmental testing as a component of the Unmanned Influence Sweep System at the South Florida Test Facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Test results will now undergo scoring and performance assessment leading up to a final developmental testing report that is expected to be completed in the spring. Findings from this report will be used for future performance improvements of the system.

AN/AQS-20C LCS Raytheon US Navy 2019-02-27
Tags AN/AQS-20C LCS Raytheon US Navy
Facebook Twitter Stumble linkedin Pinterest More

Authors

Posted by : Naval News Staff

Related Articles

US Navy Showcases Operational Readiness in Exercise with Israel

US Navy Showcases Operational Readiness in Exercise with Israel

Naval News Staff 30 Jan 2023
U.S. naval forces participated in the largest-ever bilateral exercise between the United States and Israel last week, which culminated in a visit to aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77)...
War in Ukraine: Western Navies See Lessons from Strategic to Tactical Levels

War in Ukraine: Western Navies See Lessons from Strategic to Tactical Levels

Dr Lee Willett 27 Jan 2023
The lessons emerging from the war in Ukraine for Western navies range from the strategic to the tactical levels, the chiefs of the French, UK, and US navies told the recent inaugural Paris Naval Conference.
U.S. Navy awards contract to buy multi-engine training system METS

U.S. Navy awards contract to buy multi-engine training system METS

Naval News Staff 27 Jan 2023
The U.S. Navy announced on Jan. 25 that it awarded Textron Aviation a single, firm-fixed-price contract to develop the T-54A multi-engine training system (METS) aircraft.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Legal / Privacy Policy
About Us
Contact Us

Copyright © 2022 Naval News
All Rights Reserved