Hydroid Inc. has announced that it equipped a REMUS 600 UUV with the Kongsberg High-Resolution Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Sonar (HISAS) 2040 for a customer.

According to Hydroid, the integration of the in-mission processing allows for the quick download of high-resolution images from the HISAS module once the vehicle returns from its mission.

“The integration is the first of its kind at Hydroid, allowing faster processing of data to shorten post-mission analysis timelines,” says Duane Fotheringham, president of Hydroid.

“We’re excited to offer this as an option to customers who have time-sensitive missions but also need the high-resolution data of the HISAS module.”

According to Hydroid, HISAS 2040 provides up to two centimeter by two centimeter resolution across a 300-meter swath. Combined with the onboard EM2040, HISAS 2040 provides a complete, gap-filled image.

To synthetically lengthen the aperture, synthetic aperture sonar uses algorithms, which provide consistent resolution across the entire swath, both along and across track. This is different from traditional real aperture side scan sonars. HISAS has a high resolution, resulting in the files being very large, and potentially taking several hours to download.

Equipped with the in-mission processor, HISAS data is processed and compressed in real-time along with the navigation data, which allows for the sonar imagery to be downloaded immediately when the vehicle returns from its mission through a 10 gigabyte ethernet switch. Hydroid says that this is ideal for missions that are time-sensitive such as mine countermeasures, where faster data access means safer, more efficient operations. HISAS can also prove useful for applications such as hydrographic surveys, pipeline inspection and rapid environmental assessment.

Two powerful processors were added to the module to integrate the in-mission processing onto the vehicle. This platform allows customers to quickly collect the quality data they need, which ultimately increases their operational flexibility, and helps improve decision making.