More capacity, up to 64 acoustic buoys, a depth sonar and multi-static functionality. This is ULISSES, the new acoustic system developed by Leonardo, optimised for any kind of man and uncrewed vehicle, fixed or rotating wing aircraft, thanks to its compactness and lightness.
At the end of 2019, ULISSES was involved in an important test at sea, the results of which were outstanding. A first test of the new acoustic system ULISSES to search submarines, took place off the Italian coast. The remarkable outcome was that ULISSES was ready to be manufactured starting from this year, following national and international marketing activity.
The Ultra-LIght SonicS Enhanced System, in other words ULISSES, proved its high reliability and performance, operating continuously at the highest resolution and yielding accurate data on potentially hostile submarine vessels.
ULISSES operated in a realistic environment: acoustic buoys were placed at sea by a ship, and the system quickly and accurately identified submarine targets, which were acoustic target simulators, sending coordinates to operators’ console.
A second test involved testing capacities with depth sonar HELRAS, to increase submarine targets’ detection range.
End result: ULISSES has finished successfully its development phase and is ready to enter production, while marketing has already started both nationally and internationally.
ULISSES' success, built on our processing capability, is the legacy of 20 years of anti-submarine activity that began with the OTS-90 acoustic system for NH90 Italian and Dutch helicopters.
The new system provides new capabilities that help reduce acoustic operator’s workload, such as the multi-static function that allows Cpu to acquire data from multiple acoustic buoys and deliver a detailed picture of the submarine environment, including potentially hostile vessels.
Today, thanks to the partnership with L3Harris for the dipping sonar and with Ultra, global leader in acoustic sensors, ULISSES is positioning itself as the most flexible and performing solution on the market, playing an important role in the difficult task of search and surveillance of submarine threats.
Light weight and small size make ULISSES the only system on the market that can be installed also on small remotely controlled platforms, like Leonardo’s helicopter AWHERO or Ultra’s new acoustic buoy POD dispenser.