Mary-Louise Hoffman
Northrop Grumman has tested a mine detection system that is integrated into a U.S. Navy unmanned surface vehicle during a recent mission test in the Arabian Gulf.
Navy and Northrop personnel demonstrated how the branch’s mine-hunting USV could deploy, tow and recover the company’s AQS-24A sensor for detecting underwater mines, Northrop said Monday.
The tests were conducted for the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command based in Manama, Bahrain.
“This Navy demonstration, along with the continued investments we are making across the USV and mine-hunting technology spectrum, demonstrate that Northrop Grumman is committed to assisting the Navy and our coalition partners in defeating the maritime mine threat while keeping sailors out of the minefield,” said Tom Jones, Northrop vice president for undersea systems.
According to the company, the AQS-24A works to transmit situational awareness data in real-time to a command and control station through tactical data links.
Northrop says integrating the mine-hunting sensor and unmanned surface vehicle could keep warfighters from direct exposure to dangerous mined areas.
