Mönch : The new ECA Group sonar TOWSCA completes sea trials
ECA Group’s Towed Side Scan Sonar (TOWSCA) completed sea trials in the beginning of 2017, after being tested in a variety of operating conditions, depths and sea states.
Published on Mönch, May 2017
Written by Tim MAHON
The TOWSCA was fitted on the company’s INSPECTOR Mk2 unmanned surface vehicle (USV) for the trials, providing improved shallow- to deep-water survey capability. The deck-mounted sonar is deployed thanks to launch and recovery system (LARS), with a depth capability of up to 100m. The LARS has an automatic altitude maintenance mode and automatic obstacle avoidance. Operations in harsh environments and conditions up to sea state 3 have been tested to date.
Located in 3D in real-time using the Ultra Short Base Line (USBL) positioning system coupled to the system’s internal sensors, TOWSCA provides sonar data that is geolocalised and time stamped for ease of analysis. Data can be transmitted at speeds of more than 10 knots. Applications foreseen for TOWSCA include mine detection and search and rescue.
Learn more : ECA Group demonstrates successfully its Towed Side Scan Sonar System - TOWSCA solution