Intercept Considerations for Devising a Dipping Sonar Search Strategy to Locate an Approaching Submarine

A hostile conventional submarine will attempt to get within close enough range to a ship so as to launch a torpedo. To counter this, an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) helicopter with dipping sonar capability can be used to search for an approaching submarine. In situations where earlier contact information of the submarine by an external source is available, intercept trajectory considerations can be used to determine an intercept zone for the submarine from which it can attack the ship. This information can then be used to devise a search strategy for the helicopter to locate the submarine, after which counter measures can be taken against the submarine. This problem has been investigated using a naval combat modelling environment, with results of the methodology development, implementation and analysis reported here.