Navy Communication Takes Step Forward

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The US Navy is known for being widely spread all over the globe, this kind of wide deployment means that there’s a dramatic need for communication. The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently demonstrated its prototype of an elevated sensor mast aboard the USS Zephyr, a Cyclone-class patrol coastal ship.

The Towed Airborne Lift of Naval Systems (TALONS) prototype has been developed as a low-cost, elevated sensor mast that improves ship’s communication range and ability to detect, track, and classify contacts of interest.

According to defenseworld.net, TALONS could persistently suspend intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance instruments and communications payloads of up to 68 kilograms at altitudes between 150 and 450 meters above sea level, many times higher than current ships’ masts, greatly extending the equipment’s range and effectiveness.

“We’re very pleased with the testing, which showed that a future system based on TALONS could provide operational benefits for even small Navy vessels,” Scott Littlefield, a program manager in DARPA’s Tactical Technology Office (TTO) told defenseworld.net. “During the next year, we’ll continue our cooperative relationship with the Navy and work toward fully automating launch and recovery, which would make the system easier to use on manned vessels and compatible with unmanned surface vessels”.

“Expectations were really exceeded with the ease of not only deployment but the recovery of the system,” said Lt. Cmdr. Cameron Ingram, commanding officer of the Zephyr. “Beyond the initial launch, it immediately stabilized, and it had a very smooth transition all the way up to altitude. I was very impressed with how stable it was”.

The test built upon a successful joint test last year with DARPA’s Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV) program. ACTUV’s technology demonstration vessel set sail with TALONS as its first payload as part of open-water testing off the coast of California.