BlueZone completes defence hub project for ASW capability

BlueZone Group and its industry partners Sonartech Atlas and Acacia Systems, announced  the successful completion of the Defence Innovation Hub Phase 3 project to develop Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) capability using Australian-developed sonar and combat data processing systems installed in unmanned surface vehicles. Under contract P17-246768 Theatre ASW- Off-board DCL using Wave Gliders, the SME team has delivered a highly automated and autonomous system that will contribute to the ADF’s integrated undersea surveillance system as a peer capability alongside existing traditional platforms. The system is an innovative integration of Sonartech Atlas’s sonar processors and Acacia Systems automated tracker technology with leading-edge ASW sensors and unmanned platforms.  It will provide a fully autonomous persistent surveillance capability that will complement the ADF’s existing and planned ASW force structure. The system is comprised of a Wave Glider equipped with a KraitArray™ thin line towed array sonar for the detection of acoustic data. Onboard processing of the data has resulted in tracking information that can be communicated to contribute to the overall ASW situation awareness. Sonartech Atlas (Macquarie Park, NSW) provided specialist design, development and support for acoustic processing aspects of the innovation. The product developed by Sonartech was derived from the Sonix system that has been implemented for several ASW applications. The Sonix Acoustic Processing Package (Sonix-APP) autonomously detects passive acoustic contacts received via the KraitArray™. Signal analysis performed by the Sonix-APP on detections provides the information to downstream systems required to classify contacts. This system runs in real-time and can be deployed on the Wave Glider low-power processing hardware. Acacia Systems (Hendon, SA) provided advanced tracking and localisation algorithms deployed as part of Acacia’s Onyx platform, which draws on work completed for the Integrated Sonar System supplied to the Hobart class Air Warfare Destroyer and earlier innovations deployed aboard Collins class submarines. The system comprises two main components: the target track and localise module, and the autonomous optimal manoeuvre recommendation engine which provides course input to the Wave Glider to support ranging manoeuvres on tracked contacts. BlueZone Group CEO Elizabeth Karpiel, said that she was very pleased that BlueZone had successfully delivered the Defence Innovation Hub project that will contribute to future concepts for unmanned systems operations for ASW. “BlueZone is an experienced and capable Defence SME with over 20 years’ experience supporting uncrewed systems for many applications including mine countermeasures, military survey, and Army Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR),” said Karpiel, “and are well placed to continue to support vehicles throughout their useful life as well as continuing the development of innovative ideas for unmanned systems in new roles.” For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]