ARiA awarded Phase I SBIR contract with NAVSEA for mitigation of biologically induced active sonar reverberation

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Applied Research in Acoustics LLC (ARiA) was awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract with the U.S. Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). In this work, ARiA will formulate and develop new concepts and algorithms for data-driven clutter-adaptive waveform-synthesis and CFAR normalization processing based on physical models of resonant backscattering from heterogeneous aggregations of swim-bladder-bearing fish that will significantly improve active sonar detection capability in littoral waters by reducing the number of false contacts and decreasing the amount of display clutter. Chief Scientist and Principal Investigator for the project, Dr. Jason E. Summers noted, “Biologically induced clutter is a critical challenge for Navy sonar systems operating in shallow water. By developing these new technologies, ARiA is supporting the warfighter by helping to reduce operator overload, allowing sailors to focus their attention where it is most needed.”