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Several navies are operating or procuring low-frequency active sonar systems (LFAS) as the primary part of their ASW capability. Since LFAS is a relatively new sensor with a performance strongly depending on environmental conditions, the proper operational sensor settings, such as depth and pulse type, that provide optimum performance are not readily available from rules of thumb. The purpose of the M-frigate Sonar Performance Optimisation Tool (MSPOT) is to support the Royal Netherlands Navy in operating their LFAS systems. M-SPOT provides sonar performance predictions and optimal settings in active and passive operation modes. The first version of the M-SPOT tool is a tactical decision aid that gives insight in detection ranges and advice on sensor deployment, i.e. on sonar depth, and in active mode on pulse. The advice depends on the environmental conditions and expected target. The sonar performance modelling is range-dependent and covers the whole horizon. Relevant environmental input (sound speed profile, bottom topography, bottom parameters, pH, ..) is obtained from databases and/or from measured data (XBT, GPS). A through-the-sensor approach to obtain accurate bottom parameters via reverberation inversion (RUMBLE; see [5]) is an option. The sonar parameters are pre-programmed, but adjustable. The navigation parameters are obtained via GPS. The target mission is parameterised in terms of depth, aspect and Doppler. The sonar performance results are shown to the operator and fed through an optimisation kernel that contains algorithms that are based on optimising coverage. Since clever defaults are chosen and actual inputs are used where possible, the operator can run the tool just by pressing ‘start’. Obviously, if desired, parameter values can be selected manually. M-SPOT is developed as a PC-based stand-alone performance optimisation tool for ASW sonar. It is fully modular and has an open architecture. Therefore it is easily extendable and databases can simply be changed up to the latest standards. The development of M-SPOT is based on existing software tools ALMOST and APROXA (see [3]). These tools have all been developed by TNO in collaboration with CAMS Force Vision and the Hydrographic Office of the Royal Netherlands Navy. In the beginning of 2011 a first demonstration of MSPOT was delivered to be used onboard the Royal Netherlands Navy M-Frigates. |
