PC sonar system development testing

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - The Navy announced completion of developmental testing for the AN/AQS-20C mine-hunting sonar system Feb. 26 at Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City. The AQS-20C is the “Next-Gen” of the AN/AQS-20 system designed to be incorporated into the Littoral Combat Ship’s Mine Countermeasures Mission (MCM) warfare package. The system consists of four sonar arrays: Two side-looking, a gap-filler, and forward-looking sonar arrays to provide simultaneous detection, localization and classification of mines. The system delivers high-definition images that combine to form a 3D image during post-mission analysis.During testing, Raytheon’s towed sonar sensor conducted 12 underway missions in several operational modes and at different depths at four separate NSWCPC test ranges in the Gulf of Mexico. The missions were conducted aboard the test vessel M/V Patriot. The AQS-20C will be integrated with and deployed from the MCM Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV), a semi-autonomous diesel-powered and aluminum surface craft that supports MCM payloads. Test results will undergo assessments leading to a final developmental testing report, which is expected to be completed this spring. (Source: Program Executive Office 02/27/19)