A magnetic anomaly detector is a highly sensitive magnetometer designed to sense minute variations in the Earth’s magnetic field. As part of a broader ASW mission suite, it can be used to localise the position of a submerged submarine, and/or provide a confirmatory datum prior to attack.
While the size and weight of earlier MAD systems tended to restrict their use to large maritime patrol aircraft, CAE has designed MAD-XR with reduced size, weight and power characteristics so as to allow installation on helicopters, smaller fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. The other key differentiator of MAD-XR is that it can be installed internally.
According to a French Navy press release issued on 29 April, the integration and evaluation of MAD-XR in Caïman has been led by AEROLab, with additional support coming from the Direction générale de l’armement (DGA). AEROLab is an innovation cell within the Navy’s CEPA/10S air test and evaluation squadron.
Having completed a magnetic survey campaign on both Panther and Caïman helicopters back in July 2023, CEPA/10S subsequently completed the MAD-XR integration with Caïman with technical support from DGA. The installation of this new equipment was enabled by the use of the Caïman Parallel Data Acquisition System, a monitoring and recording tool designed by CEPA/10S to collect data on board the helicopter.
Flight testing was conducted in the week of 15-19 April. “Several experimental flights were carried out to evaluate the performance of this detector on targets of opportunity,” said the Marine nationale. “The results obtained are very promising and make it possible to consider scaling up as soon as the modification is approved by the technical authority.”
The current ASW equipment fit in the NH90 Caïman helicopter is baselined around the Thales FLASH Sonics acoustics suite, which combines the FLASH active dipping sonar and a multi-channel active/passive sonobuoy processor. The French Navy will shortly introduce the new Thales SonoFlash active/passive sonobuoy into service on the Caïman.
A number of ASW platforms are already receiving MAD-XR installations. These include Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 maritime patrol aircraft (with MAD-XR systems being supplied by CAE via Mitsubishi Electric Corporation) and US Navy MH-60R ‘Romeo’ helicopters (being integrated by Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems as the Digital Magnetic Anomaly Detection System). In addition, the UK’s ASW Spearhead program has funded the acquisition of two MAD-XR sets for evaluation with the Royal Navy’s Merlin HM2 helicopter force.
