HAIFA, Israel — Elbit Systems has integrated the Towed Reelable Active Passive Sonar for Unmanned Surface Vessels (TRAPS-USV) with its Seagull USV, according to an April 14 company release. The sea trials included several deployment and recovery cycles, towing at different speeds and transmission at various power levels.
The TRAPS-USV version is a compact variant of the TRAPS, a technology that is intended for detection, classification, localization and tracking of submarines in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations. TRAPS versions are containerized or permanent-fit for any size, diverse-purpose vessel.
The TRAPS-USV variant is lighter weight but maintains all acoustic active sonar capabilities of TRAPS. TRAPS-USV is the compact and powerful low frequency towed sonar that was recently introduced by Geospectrum, Elbit’s wholly owned Canadian subsidiary.
The Seagull autonomous multimission USV features plug and play, modular mission payload suites and can perform — in addition to ASW — mine countermeasure missions, electronic warfare, maritime security, underwater surveys and other missions using the same vessel, mission control system and data links.
Integration of the TRAPS-USV enables the Seagull to perform ASW operations on the move, substantially extending its operative range and further enhancing its flexibility. The integration of the TRAPS-USV follows the recent conversion for operation, by Israel’s navy, of helicopter long-range active sonar dipping sonar onboard the Seagull USV.
