Japan’s navy has purchased four sets of Northrop Grumman’s [NOC] helicopter mounted mine detection system, marking the first time the units have been sold to a foreign country, the company said recently.
The Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS) uses streak tube imaging light detection and ranging to find and classify moored mines just below the water’s surface. The system transmits a fan-shaped laser beam to establish a swath and sweeps the light over the water, the company said.
“The addition of ALMDS to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force mine countermeasures suite of solutions provides them with significantly enhanced mine detection capability–first developed for the United States Navy,” Pat McMahon, vice president and general manager of the military aircraft systems at Northrop Grumman.
ALMDS uses four cameras focused on the area under the laser’s coverage to pick up the imaging and feed it to an algorithm that spots potential mines and stores them and their location for analysis.
Northrop Grumman is working closely with its industry partners Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Fujitsu Limited on the delivery of ALMDS and installation, the company said.