Here’s a first look at DARPA’s Sea Hunter, an anti-submarine drone shipaimed at improving the ability to detect and engage diesel-electric submarines. Once a wide-area sensor provides an initial indication of a possible target, the forward deployed ACTUV will then rapidly “sprint” to the area and use its own sensors to assess the contact. First, two side pods with long-range acquisition mid-frequency active-passive sonar will verify the presence of a submarine and identify the area of uncertainty (AOU) affected by the threat to limit close surface ships’ movement. Second, two higher frequency sonars in the main hull will improve tracking precision and mission reliability. Once in close proximity, total field magnetometer arrays will provide additional information about target activity to continuously track it. Finally, very high frequency sonar will produce an “acoustic image” of the target to identify and classify the specific submarine. Click here to view the first image in today’s viral picture gallery. Continue reading for the five most popular viral videos today, including one of a 50-foot flamethrower in super slow motion.
