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AN/AQS-20
Total Production: 25
AN/AQS-20A
Unitary Cost: USD$5.7 million
Also Known As:
Q-20
Origin:United States of America
Contractor/s:
Raytheon
Description:
The AN/AQS-20 is a powerful underwater towed mine hunting sonar system chosen for integration onto the LCS Flight 0 vessel and the MH-60S helicopter as an organic element along with other four mine countermeasures systems under the Organic Airborne Mine Countermeasures (OAMCM) systems initiative. The US Navy might employ the AQS-20 towed by the AN/WLD-1 semi-submersible autonomous vehicle/Remote Mine hunting System. In addition, the AQS-20 was integrated successfully on the US Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon mine countermeasures helicopter.
The AQS-20 is intended to detect and identify deeper moored mines and visible bottom mines. It consists of an state-of-the-art, side-looking, multibeam sonar system delivering real-time high-resolution imagery of the ocean bottom. This picture, which also relies on electro-optical sensors, can be employed by the parent platform to destroy or avoid the mine. In fact, the US Navy plans to employ this system along with the Airborne Mine Neutralization System on the MH-60S helicopter.
On 15 September 2005, Raytheon was awarded a not-to-exceed $55 million contract for the low rate initial production (LRIP) of the AN/AQS-20A sonar/mine detecting set. The contract was set to expire by March 2010. The US Navy intends to provide support to Carrier strike groups and expeditionary strike groups deploying the AQS-20 on the MH-60S helicopter and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This contract was amended in August 2006 by Naval Sea Systems Command. The final contract covered production of 11 AQS-20A sonars worth $105 million and further 11 as option as well as support equipment and services for 2007.
On 12 April 2006 Raytheon was awarded a $38.6 million contract from Naval Sea Systems Command for five AN/AQS-20A mine hunting sonar systems. On November 28, 2007, Raytheon was awarded a $52 million contract for the low rate initial production of nine AN/AQS-20A sonar mine detecting sets, spares and their accompanying kits.
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Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)
Last Updated: Sunday, August 24, 2008
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