Automated Active Sonar Interference Avoidance Algorithms (ASIA)

In this SBIR project Wagner Associates will develop Automated active Sonar Interference Avoidance algorithms (ASIA) that will automatically produce a recommended Active Sonar Interference Avoidance Plan (ASIAP). ASIA assisted automated and accurate sonar interference avoidance planning will: (1) Improve search effectiveness (i.e., reduced time to detect and classify a submarine target of interest), (2) Significantly improve situational awareness and threat assessment, and (3) Reduce operator task load. ASIA will take interference with passive systems into account, and also do active interference mitigation planning for non-SQS-53C sonars such as the LCS Variable Depth Sonar (VDS). In addition ASIA will autonomously monitor the tactical situation in real-time, and, if more interference than necessary is being generated, alert the operator and automatically generate a new recommended ASIAP. In this project we will leverage our extensive prior work developing many of the U.S. Navys systems that have or are being used operationally for optimally allocating ASW search resources, and in particular our previous development of the Operational Route Planner (ORP) and the MH-60R Acoustic Mission Planner (AMP).