ARETE ASSOCIATES — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N201-061

Description

The Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Mission Package (MP) has a requirement to conduct minehunting (MH), which is being executed through a capability to tow either the AN/AQS-20C or AN/AQS-24B sonar systems. Currently, a common deploy and retrieve system does not exist for these towed systems given that they have different tow point locations, tow cables, handling requirements, hydrodynamic requirements, and interfaces. Areté and Kraken Robotics propose to develop a Common Autonomous Launch and Recovery System (CALARS) that is robust, maintainable, and will reliably deploy and retrieve systems for the Mine Countermeasures Unmanned Surface Vehicle (MCM USV).  The CALARS will deploy, stream, tow, retrieve, and stow similarly sized towed systems from the nose and the mid body, starting with the AN/AQS-20C and AN/AQS-24B sonar systems. Our objective is to provide the Fleet with a common, modular capability to launch and recover towed sensors at a competitive cost. Areté and Kraken, with their diverse areas of experience, are ideally suited for solving this challenging problem; with the goal of developing a system that will provide additional flexibility in towed sonar choices, procurement options, and lower life cycle costs to the Navy.