Unmanned Systems Technology 015 | Martin UAV V-Bat | William Sachiti | Sonar Systems | USVs | Desert Aircraft DA150 EFI | SeaCat AUV/ROV | Gimbals

worked out, although it is expected to use a MEMS-type structure. Early-stage r&d is slated to begin around now, with two subsequent phases of development leading to a potential product in about four years. It could even use the Janus specification to make a wider range of systems communicate, but as these frequencies are even lower than those proposed for Janus, it is likely to be limited to status updates and simple monitoring. Summary The development of practical USV systems is leading to a resurgence in cost-effective towed sidescan sonar for shallow-water applications, providing high-resolution real-time imagery through larger arrays that rely on the USV for power and its radio for comms back to a ground station. Moving to deeper water, AUVs are using sonar as payloads or mounted on their sides for seabed mapping. Synthetic aperture and multi-beam sonar systems provide a range of different advantages, from higher resolution imaging to higher angular resolution. The move to new sonar and acoustic comms techniques is being driven by the move to ‘robotics as a service’, where different sonar technologies can be added to the appropriate AUV platform for a particular application and monitored from a ground station that may be halfway around the world. All of this requires increasing amounts of complex signal processing and storage, as the data has to be retained until the craft surfaces to use a radio link or returns to base. The new standards for acoustic comms will allow fleets of AUVs to coordinate to perform tasks faster, and allow different types of AUVs to communicate easily – whether it be to work together or to identify each other for obstacle avoidance. That will allow comms links of up to almost 30 km, and multiple craft could relay data onwards for longer range. However the data rate, which is already low, would fall further with this approach. Techniques for low-frequency radio that will operate underwater will emerge over the next few years, providing more ways to communicate with AUVs and their sonar systems around the world, whether it is for surveying the seabed or looking for obstacles. Acknowledgements The author would like to thank Karl Kenny at Kraken Sonar, João Alves at CMRE and Mike Baker at OTM for their help with researching this article. CANADA Kraken Sonar Systems +1 709 757 5757 www.krakensonar.com Nautel C-tech +1 902 823 3900 www.nautelc-tech.com DENMARK Teledyne Reson +45 4738 0022 www.teledyne-reson.com FRANCE Thales Group +33 1 57 77 80 00 www.thalesgroup.com GERMANY Atlas Elektronik +49 421 457-02 www.atlas-elektronik.com NORWAY Kongsberg Maritime +47 32 28 50 00 www.km.kongsberg.com UK Neptune Sonar +44 (0)1262 490234 www.neptune-sonar.co.uk Ultra Electronics Sonar Systems +44 (0)20 8813 4567 www.ultra-sonar.com USA EdgeTech +1 508 291 0057 www.edgetech.com Exelis +1 321 727 9100 www.harris.com Klein Marine Systems +1 603 893 6131 www.kleinmarinesystems.com L3 Ocean Systems +1 818 367 0111 www.l-3mps.com Raytheon +1 781 522 3000 www.raytheon.com R-2 Sonic +1 512 891 0000 www.r2sonic.com Sound Metrics +1 425 822 3001 www.soundmetrics.com Examples of sonar systems manufacturers and suppliers 41 Unmanned Systems Technology | August/September 2017