New ROTV System to Aid German Naval Research

With the purpose of testing SAS sonar technologies for mine detection, a full scale on-site demo of a Raytheon ProSAS installed on a FOCUS 2 ROTV system was organized for WTD 71. The advantages of the FOCUS 2 ROTV as a flexible instrumentation platform were recognized by the researchers at WTD 71, who instantly came up with new ideas for other applications enabling WTD 71 to benefit by  the strong features of the FOCUS system for their research activities.

As a direct result of the demo, a set of requirements for integration of various sensor configurations was defined by WTD 71. In consequence, the FOCUS 2 has been supplied with a number of standard off-the-shelf products, including MacArtney LUXUS compact low light cameras, ORE Trackpoint 3 USBL transponder, Valeport MiniSVS sound velocity sensor and Imaginex FL forward looking sonar.

Additionally, the FOCUS system has been prepared for installation of Raytheon ProSAS synthetic aperture sonar, Reson multibeam sonar and Kearfott INS.

Finally, a special interface has been developed for integration of a range of WTD 71 developed sensors.

The NEXUS based multiplexer telemetry system is an integral part of the standard FOCUS ROTV system and capable of multiplexing and transmitting data to the surface from all of the above sensors in real time, thus enabling the researchers to evaluate the sensor data and performance instantly.

“We consider it a unique opportunity for MacArtney’s engineering team to carry out the very positive and challenging teamwork with WTD 71,” stated Torsten Turla, Managing Director of MacArtney Germany. “Aiming to develop new underwater technologies for the  German navy, WTD 71 has stipulated a number of demands that we have done our utmost to meet. The result is most satisfactory to all parties involved and we look forward to continuing our good and productive working relationship with WTD 71.”