DARPA contracts BAE Systems for submarine sonar enhancement

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems a $4.6 million contract to work on enabling submarines to detect other submerged vessels at greater distances, while minimizing the risk of counter-detection.

BAE will work under DARPA’s Mobile Offboard Clandestine Communications and Approach (MOCCA) program.

“Advances in maritime technology are critical to the Department of Defense and an area where the U.S. military can continue to strengthen its advantage,” said Geoff Edelson, director of Maritime Systems and Technology at BAE Systems. “With the resurgence of near-peer competitors and an increasing number of submarines, MOCCA technology will provide Navy submariners with a vital asymmetrical advantage against a rapidly proliferating undersea threat.”

To meet the MOCCA program’s Phase 1 goals, BAE Systems’ researchers will design efficient sonar capabilities to maximize detection range and improve target identification and tracking.