“In fact, it does its best work at the furthest distances
on the horizon,” McGinn said, “unlike the fisheye, which
tends to give you relatively undistorted imagery very
close to the center of the field of view, but very great distortions out toward the edges of the frame.”
“The submarine force has long recognized the
desire for an imaging system that provides continuous
360-degree imagery that provides enhanced situational awareness while operating at periscope depth without the need to continually rotate the periscope,” said
Carl Lindstrom, technical direction agent for imaging
and periscopes at the Naval Un-
dersea Warfare Center, Division
Newport. “Recent advances in
commercial technologies have
allowed the Navy and the Office of
Naval Research to leverage this
capability.”
Surfacing is the most dangerous
maneuver for a submarine in normal operations. As the blind submarine rises from the depths
through the thermal layer near the
ocean’s surface, it is vulnerable to
collision with a surface ship that
may have missed detection by the
sub’s passive sonar.
As the periscope is quickly — to
minimize detection by an enemy
— rotated through a 360-degree
sweep to scan the horizon for surface contacts, it is possible to miss
a surface contact, especially in a
heavy sea state. A more thorough
scan of several minutes puts the
submarine at risk of collision if the
approaching contact is out of its
field of view.
“Having this quick-look capability will greatly improve situational
awareness and add another layer of
safety, especially for submarines in
littoral waters,” said McGinn, citing
its advantage in navigating dense
shipping traffic, fishing fleets, tight
straits, ports and channels and
other choke points.
“Adding a 360-degree imaging
and zoom capability will allow multiple operators to monitor nearby
and/or approaching vessels, as well
as navigation information in all
directions, thereby reducing the
need for multiple periscopes and
operators during certain underway scenarios,” Lind-
strom said.
The imaging system also has tactical applications.
“U.S. submarines are increasingly operating in high-contact density environments,” said Lindstrom. “A
360-degree imaging system would allow the submarine
to monitor these contacts continually while also alerting the operator when new contacts appear so that
appropriate action could be taken. The sensor would
also facilitate the development of new automation contact detection and tracking algorithms.”
U.S. NAVY
The Navy in June will begin evaluating an advanced panoramic imaging system
on the Type 18 periscope mast of a Los Angeles-class attack submarine in the
U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Type 18 periscope mast of USS Montpelier is seen here
as the sub approaches the pier in Souda Bay, Greece, during a port visit in April.
