Alion supports Indian Navy target practice

Alion Science and Technology has provided equipment to support the ability of the Indian Navy to conduct improved live fire target practice, the company announced on 7 December.

The company is supplying signature analysis technologies that enable the Battle Practice Target vessel built by ABG Shipyard for the navy to simulate ships of varying sizes by means of radar reflectors and infra-red generators.

Live fire weapons target practice is traditionally performed using retired ships or other vessels as targets. In addition to being costly, this method also requires large number of vessels to be sourced with the different physical and electronic characteristics of possible opponents. Conversely, the Battle Practice Target vessel is designed to reduce the cost of training to the navy while increasing output.

Rod Riddick, executive vice president for maritime programs, Alion, said: ‘The challenge was to develop a versatile ship design and electronic package that would allow the Indian Navy to train against multiple types of enemy ships while also providing a more cost-effective solution than in the past.

‘The topside design we developed, and ABG built, had to meet the Indian Navy’s very strict requirements, and we are happy to say that the first vessel was accepted as meeting all conditions.’

A key element of the barge design is its very low radar cross section and infrared signature. Using Alion’s proprietary Radar Infrared Visual Electro-Optical software, signature analyses were performed throughout the design process, which supported multiple iterations of the design in a very short period.