U.S. Navy surface warfare experts have invested a substantial amount of time and money over the past decade developing sensitive surface-search radar able to detect, pinpoint, and classify objects on the surface as small as a submarine periscope.
With these advancements in systems such as the shipboard AN/SPQ-9B horizon search radar and the helicopter-based AN/APS-153 radar, enemy submarine captains might be foolish to pop their periscopes above the surface even for a second or two when U.S. Navy surface warships or anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters are in the area.
One of the central programs spearheading improvements in periscope-detection radar systems is the Navy”s Advanced Above Water Sensors research and development program, for which the Navy requested nearly $86 million for the current fiscal year.