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Tenth AN/AQS-20C sonar delivered to US Navy

16th January 2020 - 12:30 GMT | by Shephard News Team

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Raytheon has delivered the tenth AN/AQS-20C minehunting sonar system to the US Navy, the company announced on 15 January.

The sonar-towed system – which is the program of record for the navy's Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) mine countermeasure mission package – is now fully qualified and will move toward initial operating capability.

The AN/AQS-20C comprises five distinct sonars, including a synthetic aperture sonar which provides the highest possible resolution for acoustic identification. The system detects, classifies, localises and identifies mines on the seabed, near-bottom moored mines, volume mines and near-surface mines.

The AQS-20C system is platform agnostic and can be integrated onto various tow vehicles. It is a key element in single sortie detect-to-engage capability, which combines the search-detect-identify and neutralise elements of an MCM mission on a single platform.

The programme completed developmental testing in February 2019, and will undergo further integration on the MCM Unmanned Surface Vehicle in early 2020 and ultimately aboard the LCS.

Independence Class (LCS)

AN/AQS-20