Indian Navy Updates

[pib] SPACE Testing & Evaluation hub for Sonar Systems

Prelims Only | Science Tech | Mains Paper 3: Achievements Of Indians In S&T
Note4Students

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level: SPACE Testing, Working of SONAR

Mains level: NA

Why in the news?

A state-of-the-art SPACE testing and evaluation hub for sonar systems, designed for the Indian Navy, was inaugurated by DRDO.

About Submersible Platform for Acoustic Characterisation and Evaluation (SPACE)

  • The SPACE is located at the Underwater Acoustic Research Facility in Kulamavu, Idukki, Kerala.
  • It is developed by the Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory of DRDO.
  • It is set to become a premier testing and evaluation hub for sonar systems deployed on various Indian Navy platforms, including ships, submarines, and helicopters.

Key Features of SPACE:

  • SPACE comprises two distinct components:
  1. Floating Platform on the water surface and
  2. Submersible platform capable of descending to depths of up to 100 meters using winch systems.
  • After completing operations, the submersible platform can be winched up and docked with the floating platform, ensuring efficient utilization of resources.

Functions and Capabilities:

  • The primary function of SPACE is the evaluation of complete sonar systems, facilitating rapid deployment and retrieval of scientific packages such as sensors and transducers.
  • It will serve for surveying, sampling, and data collection of air, surface, mid-water, and reservoir floor parameters utilizing modern scientific instrumentation.
  • It will address the data processing and sample analysis requirements, ushering in a new era of Anti-Submarine Warfare research capabilities.

What is SONAR?

  • SONAR stands for “Sound Navigation and Ranging.”
  • It’s a technique used for detecting and locating objects underwater by transmitting sound waves and analyzing the echoes they produce.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Sound Transmission: A SONAR system sends out pulses of sound waves, typically at frequencies beyond the range of human hearing. These sound waves travel through the water and propagate in all directions.
  2. Object Detection: When the sound waves encounter an object underwater, such as a submarine, seafloor, or marine life, they reflect off the object and return to the SONAR system as echoes.
  3. Echo Reception: The SONAR system receives the echoes of the transmitted sound waves and measures the time it takes for them to return. By knowing the speed of sound in water and the time it takes for the echoes to return, the system can calculate the distance to the object.
  4. Data Analysis: The received echoes are processed and analyzed to create a visual representation of the underwater environment. This information helps operators identify and locate objects of interest, navigate safely, and map the seafloor.

 

PYQ:

[2020] “The experiment will employ a trio of spacecraft flying in formation in the shape of an equilateral triangle that has sides one million kilometres long, with lasers shining between the craft,” The experiment in question refers to-

(a) Voyager-2

(b) New Horizons

(c) LISA Pathfinder

(d) Evolved LISA

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