Northrop Grumman has announced that the company’s µSAS (“micro-sas”) interferometric synthetic aperture sonar will be integrated onto L3Harris Technologies’ Iver4 Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) under the United States Department of Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Next Generation Small-Class UUV program.
The µSAS features a low SWaP (size, weight and power) footprint and enables longer endurance and higher area coverage rates for UUV missions. The Iver4 UUV weighs 200 lbs and is 9 inches in diameter and 99 inches long. Integration of synthetic aperture sonar on UUV of this diameter represents a significant step forward in small-class vehicle operational capability.
Alan Lytle, vice president of undersea systems at Northrop Grumman, commented: “The Northrop Grumman µSAS advanced imaging sonar is a minehunting force multiplier designed specifically for UUVs. This integration will help to deliver a significant increase in the platform’s ability to detect objects on the seafloor and in the water column.”
Daryl Slocum, president and general manager of unmanned maritime systems at L3Harris, stated: “The Iver4, integrated with µSAS, is a major advancement in small-class UUV capability for the warfighter.”
The installation of the sonar system will take place at L3Harris’ Fall River, Massachusetts facility. The U.S. Navy will perform testing of the system over a 12-month period in San Diego, California.
