New acoustic signature prediction tool developed
A new capability to predict the acoustic signatures of all classes of naval vessels has been developed by Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DST) in partnership with Frazer-Nash.
The Australian Rapid Assessment Tool (AusRAT) has been developed to model acoustic signatures in order to support low the signature requirements of modern naval vessels. Low acoustic signatures are critical, as the noise a vessel makes in the water can be used by adversaries to identify and track it.
By predicting acoustic signatures during vessel concept and preliminary design phases, different configurations can be quickly assessed – a whole-boat radiated noise estimate can be run in a few minutes versus commercially available modelling tools which require detailed information to develop models and can take significantly longer to produce results.
The system can also be used to provide updated predictions during the detailed design and build phases; and to investigate the potential impact of components not meeting their noise budget.
AusRAT will be used for Australia’s Future Submarine programme and the Future Frigate programme to predict the acoustic signature of the proposed designs to confirm they meet navy requirements.
The UK Ministry of Defence has also evaluated AusRAT in a series of case studies, endorsing the capabilities and exploring opportunities to partner with Australia and DST in further development.
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