Page 10: of Marine Technology Magazine (July 2008)

and seabed analysis, known as sub-bot- tom profiling. The seismic energy sources and sound sources have been designed as a modular system so the various components can be mixed and matched to create a general purpose system or custom built.

Boeing - Maritime ISR Systems 1145 Ocean Circle (MC: 031-EA01)

Anaheim, CA 92806-1911

Tel: (714) 762-5838

Email: [email protected] www.boeing.com/defense- space/ic/sis/ais/marine.html

CEO: Jim McNerney

President, Integrated Defense Systems: Jim Albaugh

Director, Advanced Information Systems: Dan Jones

Marketing Director, Advanced Info Syst: Sean Rice

Director, AIS-Maritime ISR Systems: Tom Jones

Eng. Director, AIS-Maritime ISR Systems: Tom Drury

Number of Employees: 180

Annual Sales: $80m

Within Boeing's Intelligence and

Security Systems, Advanced

Information Systems (AIS) resides

Maritime ISR Systems - Boeing's organization for core expertise in undersea systems. Formerly part of

Rockwell International, Maritime ISR

Systems has produced more than 36 undersea systems during its 40-year history. In parallel with the vehicle design, Boeing has invested in devel- opment of high-level, fault-tolerant autonomous software. Current field- tested and operational systems include the Navy's AN/BLQ-11 (mine survey

AUV) and the Echo Ranger LDUUV (recently transitioned from commer- cial surveying to a DoD development testbed).

Technology Profile: The AN/BLQ- 11 autonomous Unmanned Undersea

Vehicle (UUV) provides the US Navy with a covert mine countermeasure capability that can be launched and recovered through the submarine's tor- pedo tube while underway. It is cur- rently the US Navy's only submarine- qualified 21-in. heavyweight vehicle.

The autonomous UUV carries multi- ple sonar and navigation systems and control software for the mine recon- naissance mission. The BLQ-11 sys- tem is a temporary alteration (TEM-

PALT) and the vehicles and shipboard deployed equipment is all handled and loaded like a torpedo.

Currently, Echo Ranger is transition- ing from commercial survey missions to an operational LDUUV testbed for

Maritime ISR Systems' government customers. Field testing of the

AN/BLQ-11 has demonstrated the required level of autonomy, naviga- tional accuracy and mine-like object detection. After successful end-to-end

L&R tests this fall, BLQ-11 will vali- date the Navy's plan for a submarine- deployed UUV. As an LDUUV demonstrator, Echo Ranger will vali- date open hardware/software architec- tures and future USW technologies.

MTR100

Easytrak

MTR#6 (1-16).qxd 7/17/2008 1:52 PM Page 12