The objective of this Statement of Need (SON) was to conduct a preliminary design study for a SERDP-sponsored test site for technologies to detect and classify munitions in the underwater environment. A number of SERDP- and ESTCP-sponsored sensors and sensor systems were approaching the stage of development where in situ data collection is appropriate. A well-designed test site (or sites) with carefully emplaced munitions and clutter should support both data collection over known targets for final development of sensors and algorithms and subsequent blind comparative testing of different sensor modalities and systems. The first step toward this objective was a preliminary design study.
Design Considerations: Munitions of interest range from small projectiles and mortars to large bombs. Water depths up to 35 meters were of interest but there was a specific need for systems that can operate in depths less than 5 meters. Sensors developed by SERDP operate in a variety of conditions with regard to salinity, water depth, water turbidity, bottom characteristics, depth of burial, and clutter scenarios in a variety of marine, brackish, and fresh water environments.
A test site or test sites were appropriate for as large a subset of these conditions as possible. A successful design involves items easily deployable in various conditions or be in fixed locations that cover a variety of conditions. Among the issues that were considered in the preliminary design study were:
- Water depths of interest
- Bottom type or types
- Applicability to a variety of geophysical and acoustic sensors in both detection and classification modes
- Navigation and geolocation • Selection of a representative set of test items, including munitions, surrogates, and clutter
- Details of the burial and placement of test items including buried vs. proud, range of burial depth, and requirement of geolocation accuracy of ground truth
- The potential for subsequent mobility of emplaced items
- Metrics of success and statistical significance of results
An important component of any preliminary design study will be a quantitative analysis based on prior measurement of responses, modeling, calculations, platform capabilities, and other supporting data of expected sensor and system performance.
Additional Information: SERDP hosted a kick-off workshop for funded projects under this SON shortly after contract award so that each project started with as complete as possible understanding of the design requirements and SERDP’s goals.
SERDP co-sponsored a Workshop on Acoustic Detection and Classification of Unexploded Ordnance in the Underwater Environment in 2013. The workshop report addressed a number of key issues in underwater munitions response. It can be obtained from the SERDP web site (NEED INFORMATION ON LINK HERE)