02 April 2020

GeoSpectrum launches scaled down TRAPS sonar for USVs

by Richard Scott

Canadian marine acoustics house GeoSpectrum Technologies has launched a compact version of its Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar (TRAPS) designed specifically for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and other small craft.

TRAPS-USV has been designed for installation on USVs and other small craft down to 12 m in length. (GeoSpectrum Technologies)

The scaled down system, known as TRAPS-USV, retains the low frequency active sonar capability of its progenitor, but is re-engineered to enable integration on unmanned and manned vessels down to 12 m in length.

GeoSpectrum, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd based in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has developed the TRAPS system to meet requirements for a compact, lightweight and low-cost active/passive variable depth sonar that can be accommodated on smaller ships. At-sea testing of a containerised TRAPS system was performed using Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class coastal defence vessels in 2018 and 2019.

According to the company, the TRAPS system is innovative because it uses a 2 kHz active sound source that operates as a vertical projector array, but stows on a single winch drum with the receive array and tow cable. This configuration allows for a single tow, thus negating the need for a complex launch and recovery system, and so reducing footprint weight and cost.

While TRAPS-USV shares significant commonality with TRAPS, overall system weight is reduced to approximately 40% of the full TRAPS installation. This is achieved by the use of a reduced weight winch and handling system developed by Curtiss-Wright/Indal. Sonar processing for TRAPS-USV is performed by GeoSpectrum’s sensor-agnostic RecView processing capability, which was specifically designed for remote/distributed operation.

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