Northrop Grumman Delivers First AQS-24B Mine Hunting Sonar Upgrades to the US Navy

Photos accompanying this release are available at: 
http://news.northropgrumman.com/file?fid=57e1f1752cfac21e28ea0da7 and 
http://news.northropgrumman.com/file?fid=57e1f18f2cfac21e54ea3995.

The production contracts from the Navy's PMS-495 are for upgrading 27 AQS-24A mine hunting systems into the more advanced AQS-24B system. The kits contain all the components necessary to upgrade the existing 27 AQS-24A mine hunting systems into the more advanced AQS-24B system. Work is being done in three production lots. The first production lot has now completed delivery. Production lot two will deliver in the fall and production lot three in spring, 2017. 

The upgrades eliminate diminishing material issues while increasing performance dramatically by adding the world's first high speed synthetic aperture sonar, which increases sonar resolution by a factor of three while maintaining 18 knots speed performance. 

"The successful delivery of the initial eight production AQS-24B kits allows for the first operational employment of High Speed Synthetic Aperture Sonar technology by the U.S. Navy," said Alan Lytle, vice president, undersea systems, Northrop Grumman Mission Systems.

The synthetic aperture sonar enables the device to scan the ocean floor at three times the resolution of the earlier system while operating at a speed of 18 knots, nearly twice as much as any other operational towed mine hunting device in the world. The AQS-24B will be operated from MH-53E helicopters and the Mine Hunting Unmanned Surface Vessels (MHU) currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, strike, and logistics and modernization to customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

Contact:
Fernando Catta-Preta
434-974-2736 (office)
434-242-9283 (mobile)
fernando.catta-preta@ngc.com