Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organisation (DALO) has procured imaging sonar technology from maritime security company, Sonardyne International Ltd, UK to support Danish Navy’s Mine Counter Measure activities.
The Solstice side-scan sonar will be fitted to Saab Seaeye’s Double Eagle SAROV and used to search for and classify mine-like objects on the seabed.
Denmark’s naval forces conduct both domestic and international operations as part of NATO, and have at their disposal specialised ships, containerised command and control facilities, diving equipment, autonomous surface craft and unmanned underwater vehicles.
According to Sonardyne, the Solstice is designed for use on a variety of underwater platforms, and uses full dynamic focus and multi-ping integration techniques to gather high fidelity imagery of the sea floor beneath it, fully corrected for vehicle motion.
Saab Seaeye’s Double Eagle SAROV remote operated vehicle allows for autonomous mine reconnaissance missions to be conducted. If a contact is identified, the vehicle is able to deliver a disposal charge before moving away to a safe distance to allow the mine to be destroyed.
Speaking of the contract, Ross Gooding , Business Development Manager, at Sonardyne said: “We are delighted that DALO has selected Solstice to support Danish MCM operations. During evaluation trials led by Saab, we were able to demonstrate how its proprietary technologies are able to increase the operational envelope of underwater vehicles by providing wide swath coverage, long endurance and very high resolution imagery. We now look forward to supporting DALO during the installation and commissioning phase of project.”