re-inspections to identify new and potential threat objects. In two other scenarios a pier mounted and ship mounted SeaBat 7112 was used for diver detection. For these exercises Reson sonars and a tactical display were integrated into the Selex command and control system and despite a very busy environment with many fish shoals and slow moving vessels the SeaBat was able to make to two clear diver detections. The divers in both cases were using a strategy of moving from pier to pier and waiting but the Seabat was able to re-acquire the diver on each occasion. SONARDYNE Sonardyne’s Sentinel Intruder Detection Sonar (IDS) has become established as a leader within the maritime security marketplace following significant worldwide sales to prominent customers. These include the US Naval Underwater Warfare Center (NUWC) in Rhode Island which ordered Sentinel systems following rigorous and competitive acceptance and readiness trials. Sentinel is now a key component in the US Navy’s Integrated Swimmer Defence System with the latest system being delivered to NUWC in March 2009. Other military buyers include the Slovenian Navy while civilian authorities, yacht-owning royalty and private industry have all recognized the advantages of Sonardyne’s sonar technology. Sentinel IDS is a compact underwater surveillance sonar that automatically detects, tracks and classifies subsea targets including divers, submersible vehicles and surface swimmers. Sentinel provides users with complete subsea domain awareness for any marine asset or water-side infrastructure that may be vulnerable to underwater attack. This can include vessels, ports and harbors, and offshore energy facilities. It can operate autonomously or as part of an integrated security system that might also incorporate surface radar and electro-optic devices. Following its introduction, Sentinel has shown a 100 percent success rate in detecting targets at long ranges and in differentiating between divers, surface swimmers and non-threats such as pleasure craft, large fish and cetaceans. This high level of performance is due to the fact that unlike other commercially available diver detection systems, Sentinel is a not a hybrid of an existing sonar. It has been specifically designed by Sonardyne to meet the challenge of tracking underwater targets reliably and cost-effectively.
November/December 2009
Sonardyne Sentinel sonar head on seabed deployment frame.
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