Raytheon, Navy enhancing mine-hunting system

PORTSMOUTH, R.I., Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Raytheon and the U.S. Navy are in collaboration to enhance the imaging capabilities of the company's AN/AQS-20A mine-hunting sonar system.

"Extending our long history of collaboration with our NUWC neighbors, this project brings together our respective sonar experts to maximize the performance of a critical undersea warfare capability," said Kevin Peppe, vice president of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems' Seapower Capability Systems. "Our goal is to build on the system's proven performance and further the advantage that AN/AQS-20A provides to the Navy to safely detect and effectively identify these undersea threats."

NUWC is the acronym for the U.S. Naval Undersea Warfare Center – Division Newport. Its work with Raytheon comes under a "work for private party" contract funded by Raytheon.

The U.S. Navy tows the AN/AQS-20A underwater to scan for mines forward of, to the sides of, and beneath the vehicle. Sonar, electro-optical sensors, and high-precision location data are transmitted to the operating vessel, including images of the mines detected.

The system features five separate sonars and is used on Littoral Combat Ships.