Leonardo’s Innovative Submarine Detection System Soars Through Maritime Test Success
Leonardo has demonstrated the submarine-detection capabilities of its innovative ULISSES acoustic sensor system during a live sea evaluation off the coast of Italy, indicating that development is progressing as planned for completion by the end of 2019. Manufacturing is set to commence in 2020 for deliveries within the same year, and Leonardo is engaging in discussions with various potential domestic and international clients.
ULISSES (Ultra-LIght SonicS Enhanced System) is a sophisticated integrated acoustic sensor system engineered to ‘listen’ for adversarial submarines and ascertain their positions. Uniquely positioned in the market, ULISSES includes ‘multistatic’ functionality, wherein the processor aggregates and exploits data from up to 64 distributed sonobuoys or dipping sonar sensors, processed concurrently. It then utilizes these multiple information sources to triangulate the positions of potentially hostile vessels. Leonardo disclosed the system’s development in collaboration with Ultra Electronics (supplying miniaturized sonobuoys and multistatic technology) and L3 Technologies (offering dipping sonar) at the 2018 Farnborough Air Show. The system is now available for order.
The recent maritime evaluations validated the advantages of ULISSES’s multistatic capabilities in a genuine naval setting. These trials commenced with Leonardo deploying various types of sonobuoys provided by Ultra Electronics, including those equipped with GPS, from a vessel. The ULISSES processor was subsequently employed to swiftly and precisely identify several simulated underwater targets, automatically plotting their coordinates on a map at the operator’s workstation. The successful completion of these trials ensures that the system’s development remains on schedule to conclude by the end of December, with production set to begin next year.
Since its introduction last year, ULISSES has garnered significant interest due to its lightweight design suitable for unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters. Additionally, ULISSES is perfectly suited for the retrofit market, allowing for affordable installation in place of current sonic systems, thus minimizing overall weight. Other benefits include the capability to utilize a variety of sensor inputs such as GPS-enabled sonobuoys, active and passive sonobuoys, and dipping sonar. Engineered for user-friendliness and diminished operator workload, ULISSES offers automatic tracking and alert functionalities, delivers video quality up to full HD, and can remotely control sonobuoys utilizing CFS (Command Function System) commands.
