Wide Angle Beam Steerer Laser Radar
WAABS Engineering Hardware
LSA has developed a special type of laser radar system for the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) - Dahlgren Division. The system incorporates a continuously rotating scanning optical radar that provides a wide-angle, agile beam-steering (WAABS) capability to detect and range specific sea-surface targets from a ship-mounted environment. We designed and delivered an engineering model with an agile beam-steering capability that can direct a laser beam anywhere within a 360° x 3° field of view and receive a laser radar range return signal up to a range of 10 nmi.
The engineering model that we developed was intended to work in conjunction with a conventional ship-board radar sea-surface detection system. The WAABS laser radar system would perform target-verification of selected radar returns to increase the probability of correctly identifying the presence of a target. The WAABS system can operate in either single-target cued or multi-target scan modes. In the cued mode, the radar sends target information (angle and range) to the WAABS system. The WAABS system then interrogates the designated target region by sending out a laser pulse and waiting for a return pulse. Upon receiving a return pulse, the WAABS system registers the target's position and sends the data back to the radar system. In the multi-target scan mode, the WAABS system interrogates multiple regions designated by the radar system and stores multiple target positions.
LSA developed an engineering model, pictured above, to assess the feasibility of using this type of technology to locate targets at a range of up to 10 nmi (nautical miles) over an azimuth of 360° field. The WAABS system consists of 3 main parts: an optical beam steering system, an electronics control unit, and a control computer. The hardware developed is capable of standalone operation and is designed to mount on a gyro-stabilized ship mast platform that removes the pitch and roll of the ship and provides a horizontally stabilized mounting platform. Mounting the system high on a mast avoids obstructions on deck and permits eye-safe operation for ship personnel.