Ultra tapped to build additional counter-torpedo acoustic countermeasures devices for ships and submarines

Summary points:

• Ultra Electronics awarded a contract to produce Acoustic Device Countermeasure (ADC) MK 2 torpedo decoys to enhance protection for U.S. Navy surface warships and submarines.
• The ADC MK 2 emits acoustic signals to confuse sonar-guided torpedoes, providing a critical defense against torpedo attacks by simulating ship or submarine noise.
• The future ADC MK 5 variant will introduce networked communication and adaptive behaviors for coordinated group defense tactics against evolving torpedo threats.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Navy surface and undersea warfare experts needed torpedo-defense decoys to help protect surface warships and submarines from torpedo attack. They found a solution from Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems Inc. in Braintree, Mass.

Officials of Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington announced a $9.7 million order to Ultra Electronics last Thursday to build the Acoustic Device Countermeasure (ADC) MK 2 torpedo decoy for in-service surface warships and submarines.

The ADC MK 2 is a battery-powered expendable sonar countermeasure for surface ships and submarines to counter enemy torpedoes. When deployed, it hovers vertically at a pre-selected depth using a pressure-controlled motor driving a small shrouded propeller in the tail of the decoy, and emits an acoustic signal to spoof incoming torpedoes.

Sounds confuse torpedoes

The system essentially uses sound to divert or confuse homing torpedoes to help naval forces create a multilayer defensive screen. The ADC MK 2 is part of an integrated sense-to-effect solution that helps surface ships survive torpedo attacks.

The the torpedo-countermeasures system employs advanced acoustic processing techniques to detect and classify torpedo threats with a very low false alert rate and high probability of correct classification.

The ADC MK 2 is a 3-inch-diameter expendable acoustic decoy to defeat enemy torpedoes by generating acoustic noise to confuse enemy sonar guidance systems. It spoofs and diverts sonar-guided torpedoes by emitting acoustic signals that sound like ship or submarines.

Tell me more about acoustic torpedo countermeasures ...

• Navy surface ships and submarines use acoustic torpedo countermeasures to detect, confuse, and evade enemy torpedoes that home in on sound. These countermeasures typically focus on interfering with the sonar and tracking systems of incoming torpedoes. Some vessels deploy small expendable decoys that simulate the noise and signature of the ship or submarine to mislead the torpedo using noise-making devices like air bubbles or sonar reflections to confuse the torpedo’s guidance system. Some advanced torpedo countermeasures incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to predict and respond to incoming threats more quickly and accurately than traditional systems.

The device's MOD 5 version launches from submarines via signal ejector/internal countermeasure launcher (ICL), while the MOD 4 version is launched by hand from surface warships.

It Emits acoustic signals to deceive active and passive torpedo guidance systems. Depth control is selectable for deep and shallow waters, and supports controlled ascent and descent from launch position to operational depth. The Next-generation ADC MK 5 variant will add networked acoustic communication, coordinated group tactics, and adaptive behaviors.

On this contract Ultra Electronics will do the work in Braintree, Mass., and should be finished by July 2027. For more information contact Ultra Electronics Ocean Systems online at https://umaritime.com/, or Naval Sea Systems Command at www.navsea.navy.mil.