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Category: Warfare Analysis

Sonar From The Air

Posted on by Bob
I spent most of my career in the sonar business.  It was always assumed that sonar can only work when both the transmitter and the receiver were in the same body of water; air to water sonar was not possible because sonar can not break the air-water interface.   Sure, there were planes that could “dip” […]

I spent most of my career in the sonar business.  It was always assumed that sonar can only work when both the transmitter and the receiver were in the same body of water; air to water sonar was not possible because sonar can not break the air-water interface.   Sure, there were planes that could “dip” a device into the water that would transmit and receive sonar signals, but that is still considered a water-water sonar.  Thanks to the innovative minds of Stanford University, there may now be a way to transmit and receive sonar from an airborne platform.  Who would have thought?

Stanford engineers explain that the Photoacoustic Airborne Sonar System, or PASS, fires a laser into the surface of the water, its intensity pulsed to the desired acoustic frequency, and as this laser energy is absorbed, it creates ultrasonic waves in the water that can act as effective sonar waves, bouncing off underwater objects before returning up to the surface.  “If we can use light in the air, where light travels well, and sound in the water, where sound travels well, we can get the best of both worlds”

This can be a game changer for Anti Submarine Warfare.  Aircraft would be able to search for submarines without dropping sensors into the water.  This would be advantageous because aircraft could search an area more quickly, and the splashing sound of the sensors would not give away the presence of the aircraft.

If sonar interests you, or if you work with sonar, consider taking the upcoming ATI course “Sonar Principles and ASW Analysis.”  This three-day course provides an excellent introduction to underwater sound and highlights how sonar principles are employed in ASW analyses. The course provides a solid understanding of the sonar equation and discusses in-depth propagation loss, target strength, reverberation, arrays, array gain, and detection of signals. 

To learn more about this course, and to register, you can go here.

And, to learn more about other courses offered by ATI, please go to www.aticourses.com

Game Changer

Posted on by Bob
For decades, the state of the art in missile technology has been Ballistic Missiles.   A Ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver its warhead, or warheads, onto a predetermined target.  The missile is put into orbit by a rocket, and the remainder of its flight is unpowered.  The missile simply falls like a rock […]

For decades, the state of the art in missile technology has been Ballistic Missiles.   A Ballistic missile follows a ballistic trajectory to deliver its warhead, or warheads, onto a predetermined target.  The missile is put into orbit by a rocket, and the remainder of its flight is unpowered.  The missile simply falls like a rock on a highly predictable approach.  Due to the nature of its flight, Ballistic Missiles can easily be countered by Anti-Ballistic Missiles.  The ABM can intercept and destroy the Ballistic Missile at any point during its flight.  Many countries have mastered the technology of Ballistic Missiles, and Anti-Ballistic Missile Defense.  It is what drove the Cold War.

In recent years, however, we have been introduced to a new missile technology.  Hypersonic Missiles have changed the art of war as we know it.  Hypersonic missiles travel at least five times the speed of sound, and they can fly much lower to the ground than conventional Ballistic Missiles.  These hypersonic missiles are more of a threat because they are highly maneuverable.  Due to their speed and their maneuverability, they are difficult, if not impossible, to detect by traditional anti-ballistic missile defense systems.  And, due to their immense kinetic energy, they are even more destructive to the target that they are directed toward.  Hypersonic missiles are a game changer. 

Russia, China, North Korea, and the US have all tested hypersonic missiles.  When they become operational and get incorporated into military arsenals, it will be truly significant for both aggressors and target countries. 

This is truly the way of the future in Rocket and Missile technology.  Scientists and engineers need to be familiar with this new type of missile.

If you would like to learn more about Rocket and Missile Fundamentals including the Hypersonic Missile technology, consider enrolling in ATI’s upcoming course Rocket and Missile Fundamentals.  The instructor has recently added a unit discussing Hypersonic Missiles.

As always, a complete listing of ATI’s courses can be found here.

The World Is Changing, So Maybe ATI Should Too.

Posted on by Bob
The world is changing, so maybe ATI should too. Applied Technology Institute (ATI) has conducted specialized training in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and specialized engineering and systems engineering since 1984.  Our clients include DOD, government agencies, military, government and military contractors, technical industries, NASA facilities, and aerospace contractors. A […]

The world is changing, so maybe ATI should too.

Applied Technology Institute (ATI) has conducted specialized training in satellite communications, space, defense, radar, sonar and acoustics, signal processing, and specialized engineering and systems engineering since 1984.  Our clients include DOD, government agencies, military, government and military contractors, technical industries, NASA facilities, and aerospace contractors.

A complete list of ATI’s offerings can be found at https://aticourses.com/courses/   .  At a glance, it appears to be a comprehensive list of courses that would be of interest to any Rocket Scientist, who, as the ATI tagline suggests, we believe to be our core students.

The year is now 2020 and a lot of things have changed since Applied Technology Institute was founded in 1984.  Technology has advanced in ways that could never have been anticipated, wars are no longer being fought in the same way, and relationships between countries are no longer as stable as they had once been.  The world is changing, so maybe ATI should too.

Perhaps, employees of our core customers ( DOD, government agencies, military, government and military contractors, technical industries, NASA facilities, and aerospace contractors ) need to be more than just Rocket Scientists today.  In addition to understanding Rocket Science, they may also need to be familiar with the world in which the Rockets will be deployed, and the geo political conditions under which they will be deployed.  With this additional background, the Rocket Scientist will be better able to understand the requirements of his Rockets, and the needs of the soldiers who will be using those Rockets.  Said differently, perhaps the Rocket needs to be considered as a part of a larger system which includes the organizations that use the Rocket, and the goals of those organizations. 

So, through this blog, ATI is asking our readers for their opinion.  Should ATI expand our course offerings to include more courses which will show Rocket Scientists how and why their Rockets will be used?

One example of a possible new ATI course deals with Peacekeeping and Stability Operations.  The following Course Description is from the syllabus of “Peacekeeping and Stability Operations”. The instructor for this course would be Mr. Stephen Phillips from JHU/APL.

 Course Description ( Peacekeeping and Stability Operations )  Intelligence plays a pivotal role in the identification, preparation, and execution of peacekeeping and stability operations performed in a multinational context. Stability and peace operations are designed to prevent, contain, or resolve regional conflicts. These operations are increasingly becoming a core mission in supporting the overall goals and objectives of the current global conflict. This course examines the concepts of nation building, stabilization, reconstruction, and transition across the spectrum of peace operations and analyzes the role of various actors, including nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, private military companies, and government organizations, and how they interact in the stabilization mission and environment.

One example of an American intervention to stabilize and reduce the expansion of conflict occurred in the Persian Gulf in the 1980s.  Operation Earnest Will was the American Military protection of Kuwaiti-owned tankers from Iranian attacks in 1987/1988, three years into the Tanker War phase of the Iran-Iraq War.   Steve recently presented an excellent summary of Operation Earnest Will.  This presentation can be viewed at   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZUQiKDmhE8

ATI looks forward to growing our course list, and growing our student body, through collaborations such as this.  Again, we would love to hear what you think.