Raytheon Company awarded a sub-contract from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for its latest medium frequency hull-mounted sonar system.

The sub-contract is part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program.

According to the U.S. Navy , 43 nations operate more than 600 submarines; the steady increase in undersea vessels makes tracking a challenge. Raytheon's Modular Scalable Sonar System (MS3) will integrate into SAIC's prototype trimaran vessel as the primary search and detection sonar. The systemis designed to provide search, detection, passive-threat filtering, localization and tracking capabilities without requiring human operation.

MS3 enables anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and undersea warfare with capabilities such as active and passive search, torpedo detection and alertment, and small object avoidance. Data from multiple sonars may be fed to a central command and control node, providing a common operating picture as part of the ASW mission. By integrating a host of capabilities in a single sonar system, Raytheon delivers an affordable solution that addresses critical naval challenges.

"Historically, manned sonars were central to anti-submarine warfare missions. However, the growing number of submarines traversing the world's oceans makes this model unsustainable," said Joe Biondi , vice president of Advanced Technology for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "By leveraging Raytheon's heritage in developing undersea sensors , MS3 can be configured to provide the capabilities required for ASW in an autonomous environment."