Thales UK reached out to Naval News in late April 2021 to discuss their unique sensor that can detect incoming sniper, small arms fire, and cannon fire.
“Acusonic™ is differentiated in the marketplace through both its performance and SWAP/form factor [SWAP stands for size, weight, and power]. Regarding the former, Acusonic contains unique algorithms that give it unmatched performance in challenging acoustic environments, such as on vehicles or vessels traveling at speed. Regarding the later, Acusonic was designed to be rugged and low profile. Potential challenges facing [competitor] solutions which utilize microphones on vertically protruding masts include a) being more vulnerable to damage, b) interfering with optics and weapons line of sight and c) not being conducive to platform “stealth.” Acusonic, by design, does not face these challenges. Lastly, other competitors in the gunshot detection market offer a “one size fits all” solution, with each platform receiving the standard system regardless of size or configuration. Acusonic on the other hand is scalable, starting from a single sensor and increasing to the tri-sensor solution seen on AJAX [UK’s armored fighting vehicle]. Thales will assess each platform and can offer the best suited Acusonic configuration according to the platform design and customer need.
“Acusonic was born out of the acoustic expertise gained from Thales’ pedigree as the world’s top exporter of naval sonar systems. This acoustic expertise has been transferred from the underwater environment to the airborne environment to build the underlying algorithms which are at the center of Acusonic’s shot detection capability.
“The system is already certified to IP-67, and Thales is exploring a number of further modifications where necessary to further protect the sensor heads in the maritime environment.”
–Tom Kinnaird from the Thales Acusonic team, Thales UK Limited
IP-67 stands for “Ingress Protection” and is 100% protected against solid objects such as dust and sand, and can withstand being submerged for at least 30 minutes in 15 centimeters to 1 meter of water.
“As far as Thales UK are aware, it is the first acoustic shot detection system that has successfully undertaken a live firing trial on a maritime vessel. Acusonic detects and combines two key sounds associated with incoming hostile fire: the supersonic shockwave of the bullet and the muzzle blast. Unique algorithms in Acusonic’s software then use this data to derive range, bearing and caliber of incoming fire,” said Adrian Rondel of Thales UK.
The entire highly-sensitive and accurate passive detection system consists of dome-shaped microphones and a display screen with buttons that overlays a top-view map of the surrounding area and a circular compass grid shows the direction the shot came from. Any incoming fire is plotted and marked with a red arrow to denote where the fire originated from. Crews can then take evasive, defensive, or offensive action against the hostile incoming fire, or launch necessary countermeasures. Thus, Acusonic’s state-of-the-art system provides crews better life-saving situational awareness in rugged and extreme environments and integrates in their Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence (C4I) systems.
According to the Thales UK datasheet, Acusonic’s features are:
- “Real-time sensor system with continuous monitoring
- Reports range and bearing
- 360-degree coverage
- Very low false alarm rates
- Proven performance
- Detects up to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles)
- 99% detection rate
- Pinpoint location accuracy up to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) for large caliber small arms fire
- Roughly four-degree bearing accuracy
- Simultaneous tracking of multiple sources
- Resistant to traditional countermeasures
- For use as an integrated sensor suite (C4I) or stand-alone solution
- Engineered for use on a comprehensive range of platforms
- “Real-time sensor system with continuous monitoring
- Reports range and bearing
- 360-degree coverage
- Very low false alarm rates
- Proven performance
- Detects up to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles)
- 99% detection rate
- Pinpoint location accuracy up to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) for large caliber small arms fire
- Roughly four-degree bearing accuracy
- Simultaneous tracking of multiple sources
- Resistant to traditional countermeasures
- For use as an integrated sensor suite (C4I) or stand-alone solution
- Engineered for use on a comprehensive range of platforms
Acusonic can be used with a Remote Weapon Station (RWS) and slew the weapon towards the incoming fire’s direction, or used to enhance Battle Management Systems and crew Situational Awareness.
