Wavefront, MARSS, Forcys integrate mobile C2, sensor systems for infrastructure protection

Wavefront's expeditionary trailer version of its Sentinel IDS, with a sonar head on a tripod to the left, seen at a demonstration in Portland Port, Dorset, UK, in June 2025. (Janes/Tom Barton)

UK operating companies Wavefront Systems, Forcys, and Marine and Remote Sensing Solutions (MARSS) demonstrated a successful integration of sensors and command-and-control (C2) systems for defending infrastructure against various aerial and maritime threats.

Sonar net

Simon Goldsworthy, global business development manager for Intruder Detection Systems at Wavefront, told Janes that its Sentinel Intruder Detection Sonar (IDS) with its Simultaneous In-band Active and Passive Sonar (SInAPS) operating at 70 kHz can detect divers up to 1,000 m and mini submarines up to 1,500 m.

During a demonstration at Portland Harbour in Dorset in June, Goldsworthy said Sentinel was designed for cluttered environments such as harbours. It is capable of tracking hundreds of potential and actual threats and co-ordinating between up to 10 different Sentinel units, either hardwired or through the Forcys and Wavefront's new trailer-based expeditionary unit, which they unveiled at the event.

Able to integrate with different C2 systems, the Sentinel IDS tracking software was shown displaying tracks both alongside and within MARSS' NiDAR C2 software.

Goldsworthy said that currently, the fibre-optic data cable necessary for each Sentinel sonar head can only reach up to 2,500 m. The 35 kg, 43×33 cm head's 200 W power requirement means that batteries would not last long, meaning operations such as protecting undersea cables are currently only in the concept phase. “A solar-powered buoy wouldn't provide enough power, but work on a possible wave-powered buoy is ongoing.”