Under MİDAS (Indigenous Piezoelectric Ceramic Development) project, composition development, characterisation, test and production skills were gained for Navy-I and Navy-II type piezoelectric ceramics. Sensor and index design, modelling, analysis and test skills were gained during the process of industrialisation of the wet-end units of YAKAMOS. Under the MST-01 project, transducers were supplied as spare parts for SQS-56 sonars in the inventory.
The test infrastructure with a depth of approximately 15 m, which enables performance of acoustic tests between 2-100 kHz thanks to its sensitive positioning system, was established on Bilkent Pond (Bilkent Pond Open Water Test and Calibration Facility). Moreover, pool and pressure tank infrastructures were also put into use. Having taken over YAKAMOS sonar through technology transfer by the TNFC and had a solid grasp of the system, Meteksan Defence will carry out the following activities for YAKAMOS-1 sonar used in the MİLGEM project:
The sonar of the third ship of the MİLGEM project will have a series of novelties. Meteksan Defence started from the scratch with the sonar software and rendered the software units depending on the hardware used independent from the hardware. It developed on its own the PGA cards that were procured from abroad and are no longer possible to purchase from the same source. Since the noise level of the cards developed is lower than the previous cards, the sonar’s performance has been enhanced.
Similarly, the ADC-DAC cards that were procured from abroad but are no longer possible to purchase from the same source have started to be procured from a different source. Meteksan Defence also developed a dummy load that simulates wet-end to easily test all these modifications in the laboratory environment.
The sonar of the fourth ship of the MİLGEM project will have active tracker feature. Furthermore, the sonar will also have a simulation mode that will enable continuation of training activities during deployments as well. All capabilities of the last ship of the project will also be added to the sonars in the other three ships. The future plans of Meteksan Defence concerning YAKAMOS, which will become a product family, are as follows:
YAKAMOS-2 sonar will be integrated to ships under modernisation program for BARBAROS class frigates. YAKAMOS-2 will be a version whose equipment is indigenised sticking to the architecture of YAKAMOS-1 and resistance to environmental conditions is improved.
İ class frigates will be equipped with
YAKAMOS-3, a modular, scalable and integrated sonar suite whose software and algorithms have been improved. YAKAMOS-3 will be interoperable with different wet-end units on different platforms, thanks to its modularity. The sonar will be able to be operated with a wet-end that has fewer sensors on a ship of the size of a corvette and with a wet-end that has more sensors on a platform of the side of a destroyer.
Considering TF-2000 frigate will be used in high seas as well, Meteksan Defence will develop the low requency active sonar YAKAMOS-L which increases the detection range in such seas.
The Future is in Fibre Optic Sensors
While developing the YAKAMOS sonar family using current technologies, Meteksan Defence also invests in future technologies. In this scope, Meteksan Defence, which works on fibre optic technologies in relation to the sensors of sonars, told about the point it had reached in Senior System Engineer Emrah İlbey’s presentation entitled “New Generation Fibre Optic Sonar Solutions for Underwater Platforms”. Fibre optic sensors are known with their high precision, low noise level, immunity to electromagnetic interference and ease of multiplexing (supporting of more than one sensors using a single fibre cable). Furthermore, such sensors enable generation of a thinner and lighter array that does not need electric power when used in towed arrays. Meteksan Defence uses Mandrel-Based Acoustic Sensing method on these sensors. In this method, fibre cable is wound around a cylindrical mandrel. All mandrels on the system have the same characteristics. One of them is on the dry-end and functions as the reference mandrel. When an acoustic wave hits the mandrel under the water, the mandrel’s diameter changes, which changes the length of the fibre coil. Thus, the optical path in the reference mandrel is extended, and a phase difference from the reference mandrel occurs. Meteksan Defence uses temporal multiplexing to drive through a single fibre that connects more than one mandrel.
Furthermore, the signal of the reference mandrel is transmitted on the same fibre for isolation of outdoor noise. Meteksan Defence conducted the tests for its sensors at the underwater acoustics test infrastructure installed in Bilkent Pond Open Water Test and Calibration Facility. The results indicate that high precision and low sensor self-noise values have been reached. İlbey stated that Meteksan Defence was ready to integrate these sensors to final products under the projects to be launched.
Meteksan defense's sensor design for new generation Fibre Optic Sonar
Have a good reading !
Defeating the DM2A4 is indeed commendable. A-90Bs use them as standard heavy torpedoes.
Hmm ! It is published by Monch group as well.
HIZIR COUNTERMEASURES SYSTEM SUCCESS AGAINST DM2A4 TORPEDO
In June, an Aselsan official informed MONCh that the HIZIR Torpedo Countermeasure System (TCMS) had successfully completed a test deployment against a training version of the DM2A4 heavyweight torpedo. The torpedo was launched against the ADA-class corvette BURGAZADA, during her sea acceptance trials, from a range of 10-12km and was successfully seduced away from the target by decoys. HIZIR uses the DULGER expendable self-propelled target emulator and MEZGIT self-propelled jammer, both members of the ZOKA anti-torpedo acoustic decoy family. The system consists of an 800m long towed array passive sonar, a towed decoy located at the 650m mark of the array, shipboard decoy launchers for DULGER and MEZGIT, and supporting electronics and mechanical systems.
BURGAZADA is the third ADA-class vessel for the Turkish Navy and will be commissioned on 28 September, but the first to be fitted with HIZIR – her predecessors carry the SEA SENTOR Surface Ship Torpedo Defence System from Ultra Electronics. Aselsan completed factory acceptance tests of HIZIR in October last year, quickly integrating the system onto BURGAZADA, which set out on her maiden voyage on 18 March this year.
Aselsan Deputy General Manager Mustafa Kaval told MONCh in May that the SEA SENTOR systems on the first two corvettes will ultimately be replaced by HISIR, adding: “
HIZIR passed all tests successfully. [Turkish Naval Forces Command] has performed five more tests with HIZIR TCMS, it is proved that our system is much more effective than foreign one.”
https://www.monch.com/mpg/news/ew-c4i-channel/4195-tr2409.html
