Northrop Grumman to integrate sonar system onto L3Harris unmanned undersea vehicle

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s µSASTM (pronounced “micro-sas”) will be integrated onto L3Harris Technologies’ Iver4 Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) for a 12-month test period for the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) Next Generation Small-Class UUV program.

The µSAS is a Low-SWaP (size, weight and power), high-performance interferometric synthetic aperture sonar that enables longer sorties and higher area coverage rates for UUV missions. Integrated onto a 9-inch diameter, 99-inch long, 200-pound UUV, the installation will occur at L3Harris’ Fall River, Massachusetts facility and the system will be tested in San Diego, California by the U.S. Navy. The integration of synthetic aperture sonar on a small diameter UUV is a significant step forward in small class vehicle capability.

Alan Lytle, vice president, undersea systems, Northrop Grumman, said:

“The Northrop Grumman µSAS advanced imaging sonar is a minehunting force multiplier designed specifically for UUVs. This integration will help to deliver a significant increase in the platform’s ability to detect objects on the seafloor and in the water column.”

Daryl Slocum, president and general manager, unmanned maritime systems, L3Harris, said:

“The Iver4, integrated with µSAS, is a major advancement in small-class UUV capability for the warfighter.”