AN/AQS-20 advanced mine-hunting sonar
As part of a new $20.7 million contract, Raytheon will overhaul and upgrade the Navy’s AN/AQS-29 towed mine-hunting sonar. Areté will provide the STIL (streak tube imaging) sensor, also known as Electro-Optic Identification (EOID), as reported in Military and Aerospace Electronics.
The STIL sensor fits into a helicopter-towed vessel. The sensor is integrated with MH-53E and MH-60S helicopters as well as from a remotely operated underwater vehicle.
The AN/AQS-20A can find and neutralize sea mines as deep as 450 feet under water and the sensor provides high-resolution 3D images at short ranges, and can detect and pinpoint sea mines at long ranges.
The system sends sonar and imaging data through its fiber-optic tow cable to an operator console either on the host helicopter or by wireless transmission to operators on surface vessels.
According to the contract, work should completed by May 2020. More information can be found at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems online at www.raytheon.com, or the Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division at www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Panama-City.
