India's undersea surveillance gets sharper: New pact with Australia aims to boost submarine detection capabilities

India and Australia signed an agreement to improve undersea surveillance technologies, enhancing the early detection and tracking of submarines and autonomous underwater vehicles.

 

According to the Australian department of defence, the agreement outlines a research project between the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Information Sciences Division of Australia's  Defence Science and Technology Group.

 

The research will explore using Towed Array Target Motion Analysis—a process used primarily in underwater surveillance and anti-submarine warfare to estimate the position and velocity of a target, including submarines or warships—to improve the reliability, efficiency and interoperability of current surveillance capabilities.

 

The two countries will share ideas, investigation trials, algorithm demonstrations and performance analysis.

 

“Target Motion Analysis is the crucial element in maintaining platform situational awareness, when a passive mode of operation is required,” Discipline Leader in DSTG’s Information Sciences Division, Amanda Bessell, was quoted as saying.

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Sanjeev Arulampalam, DSTG senior researcher,  said a towed array consisted of a long linear array of hydrophones, towed behind a submarine or surface ship on a flexible cable.

 

“The hydrophones work together to listen to the undersea environment from various directions. The sound signal is passed through a signal processor, which analyses, filters and detects underwater acoustic signals emitted from maritime targets,” he said.

 

Chief Information Sciences Division Suneel Randhawa said the output of this research programme has the potential to guide the development of future algorithmic directions for our undersea combat system surveillance technologies.

Defence