Dangerous waters sonar questions

speed150mph · 01-08-14, 08:40 PM

Thank you, that has been very helpful. I'm still unaccustomed to the waterfall display but I will learn, especially on my favorite akula. I think the thing with me and the waterfall is it has so many more buttons and it's harder to judge bearing quickly with it. But it's just adapting.

Hey another question I forgot to ask. With the sonar modelling, in shallower water with no layer, will hovering just above the floor help mask active or passive signifiers, like flying nap of the earth and terrein masking does for aircraft?

OptimusX · 01-10-14, 02:45 AM

I don't think it would matter much with passive detection, because even an idle sub can radiate noise.

Aircraft deal with more active detection than subs.

SilentPrey · 01-10-14, 09:12 AM

Being close to the floor messes with your sensors a lot more than whoever is listening to you. If you're going slow enough to be quiet then your towed array will end up dragging. I also don't believe active sonar will return off of the floor but it will definitely still return off you. With both active and passive if you're on the other side of an island or something like that then you are masked but just being close to the sea floor doesn't help you.

For aviation terrain masking and NOE flight make a lot more sense. Aircraft are actually quite bad at spotting threats on the ground; the aircraft is always much more conspicuous than whoever is looking up at them. In a submarine though, you are the least conspicuous thing in the area. You're well camouflaged. Your best defense is to be quiet in wide open water so you can hear everything going on around you.

Kapitan · 01-11-14, 02:38 PM

There's not much upgrade done to the sonar systems in RA, the akula and Russian boats all have a similar sonar suite and you need have to have a good eye sight and quick reflexes.

With sonar towed array mainly you always get the real contact and a mirror, the way to distinguish between the real and fake is to conduct a 45 degree turn, look on the nav map the contact that moves and jumps is the fake so shoot at the other one.

01-11-14, 02:38 PM	#4
Kapitan Sub Test Pilot Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK + Canada Posts: 7,130 Downloads: 77 Uploads: 7	There's not much upgrade done to the sonar systems in RA, the akula and Russian boats all have a similar sonar suite and you need have to have a good eye sight and quick reflexes. With sonar towed array mainly you always get the real contact and a mirror, the way to distinguish between the real and fake is to conduct a 45 degree turn, look on the nav map the contact that moves and jumps is the fake so shoot at the other one. __________________ DONT FORGET if you like a post to nominate it by using the blue diamond Find out about Museum Ships here: https://www.museumships.us/ Flickr for all my pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/131313936@N03/ Navy general board articles: https://www.navygeneralboard.com/author/aegis/

01-08-14, 08:40 PM	#1
speed150mph Electrician's Mate Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 132 Downloads: 36 Uploads: 0	Thank you, that has been very helpful. I'm still unaccustomed to the waterfall display but I will learn, especially on my favorite akula. I think the thing with me and the waterfall is it has so many more buttons and it's harder to judge bearing quickly with it. But it's just adapting. Hey another question I forgot to ask. With the sonar modelling, in shallower water with no layer, will hovering just above the floor help mask active or passive signifiers, like flying nap of the earth and terrein masking does for aircraft?

01-10-14, 02:45 AM	#2
OptimusX Seaman Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 31 Downloads: 27 Uploads: 0	I don't think it would matter much with passive detection, because even an idle sub can radiate noise. Aircraft deal with more active detection than subs.

01-10-14, 09:12 AM	#3
SilentPrey Navy Dude Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Texas Posts: 171 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 2	Being close to the floor messes with your sensors a lot more than whoever is listening to you. If you're going slow enough to be quiet then your towed array will end up dragging. I also don't believe active sonar will return off of the floor but it will definitely still return off you. With both active and passive if you're on the other side of an island or something like that then you are masked but just being close to the sea floor doesn't help you. For aviation terrain masking and NOE flight make a lot more sense. Aircraft are actually quite bad at spotting threats on the ground; the aircraft is always much more conspicuous than whoever is looking up at them. In a submarine though, you are the least conspicuous thing in the area. You're well camouflaged. Your best defense is to be quiet in wide open water so you can hear everything going on around you.