Sentinel is a third generation sonar system designed specifically for underwater security. Compact and easily deployed, the Sentinel head is only 30cm in diameter, 40cm high and weighs less than 65lb. The 360(DEGREE) sonar can operate as a stand alone portable system or has been designed to allow multiple heads to be networked together to provide a wide area domain awareness.

The new system features an advanced automatic target detection, classification and tracking capability that removes the need for continuous manual operation. Threat warnings can be communicated by the system’s command and control facility, distributed to a third party integrated system or distributed over an Ethernet to a host command and control centre anywhere in the world. Because of its low weight, compact size and system simplicity, it was demonstrated that it can be deployed and become operational within an hour of arriving on site. This ease of set up and configuration has been a key factor in the several successful demonstrations performed to date.

The first operational deployments of Sentinel are scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2008. Sonardyne now believes that the Sentinel specification is the first cost effective solution that meets the growing need for underwater security in terms of size, performance and cost.