Northrop Grumman announced it would be working with L3Harris Technologies on the integration of the µSAS (pronounced “micro-sas”) sonar onto the Iver4 unmanned undersea vehicle (UUV) for a 12-month test period.
The effort is part of Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Next Generation Small-Class UUV program, which saw the US Navy and DIU acquire the Iver4 UUV this year for expeditionary sea missions.
The µSAS is a Low-SWaP (size, weight and power), high-performance interferometric synthetic aperture sonar that enables longer sorties and higher area coverage rates for UUV missions.
Integrated onto a 9-inch diameter, 99-inch long, 200-pound UUV, the installation will occur at L3Harris’ Fall River, Massachusetts facility and the system will be tested in San Diego, California by the US Navy.
“The Northrop Grumman µSAS advanced imaging sonar is a minehunting force multiplier designed specifically for UUVs,” said Alan Lytle, vice president, undersea systems, Northrop Grumman. “This integration will help to deliver a significant increase in the platform’s ability to detect objects on the seafloor and in the water column.”
“The Iver4, integrated with µSAS, is a major advancement in small-class UUV capability for the warfighter,” said Daryl Slocum, president and general manager, unmanned maritime systems, L3Harris.
The Iver4 can detect, classify, localize, and identify targets on the ocean floor and in the water column in support of expeditionary mine countermeasures (ExMCM), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), and undersea search operations. The platform uses a series of sensors to navigate the pre-programmed path while maintaining a constant height off the bottom, regardless of the water conditions. The Iver4 can reach a maximum depth of 300 meters.
