APL Defining Innovations: Advanced Sonar Arrays

When experiments with long-line towed sonar arrays in the 1980s failed to detect threat submarines at longer ranges as expected, APL developed the tests, prototypes, models, and detailed ocean physics and engineering analyses needed to unlock the potential of this revolutionary technology application. APL led developments and prototyping efforts, including the SURTASS 3X array (almost three miles long), that profoundly improved our ability to detect advanced threat submarines at significantly increased ranges. APL’s groundbreaking undersea research and development provided the foundation for the powerful long-range towed arrays in use throughout the U.S. Navy today aboard submarines, surface combatants, and surveillance platforms, and guided the stealth design requirements for multiple generations of U.S. submarines.

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