Features & Benefits

Designed for the protection of strategic and high value marine assets including oil and gas installations, LNG tankers, ports and harbours, luxury vessels and naval vessels

Lightweight sonar head weighing 35kg in air

Quick and easy to deploy

Available is three versions to suit detection and tracking requirements; 500, 900 or 1500 metres

Advanced detection, classification and tracking filters ensure low false alarm rate

Stand alone or networked operation

Easily operated by non-sonar skilled staff

Brochure

Sentinel IDS

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Specification upgrades enhance capabilities of Sentinel sonar

Is your underwater perimeter secure?

Sentinel IDS® is the worlds biggest selling underwater diver detection sonar. Since its launch it has rapidly gained acceptance across the entire market spectrum protecting Ports and Harbours, Naval Platforms, Commercial Vessels, Megayachts, Critical Infrastructure and VIP Assets.

Sentinel takes reliable, long range underwater intruder detection to a new level. The system has been developed from inception specifically for the purpose of detection and tracking difficult to find underwater targets.

The system is small, lightweight, has a low false alarm rate and, once configured, can be left to operate autonomously. The flexibility afforded by Sentinel’s small footprint, with its full 360° detection area and network head capability, outperforms far more expensive and complex technologies.

For expeditionary installations, the system is flexible and capable of rapid deployment by unskilled operators. For permanent installations, the same subsea hardware can be deployed in many different configurations with full functionality providing the user with complete underwater domain awareness.

The state-of-the-art techniques adopted by Sonardyne deliver class leading performance which has seen Sentinel adopted as the standard by military, government and private agencies worldwide to protect vessels, strategic waterside infrastructure and VIPs.

The reliable detection of underwater targets and their discrimination from marine mammals is a notoriously difficult problem. The Sentinel IDS system addresses this challenge by combining state-of-the-art sonar technology, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) based processing units and automated detection, classification and tracking software which has been tested and proven in extensive trials.

The result is a system that can function in a wide a range of acoustically complex subsea environments and ensure that only genuine threats are highlighted. This minimises false alarms and reduces the dangerous tension that these can generate.

Harbour Entrance / Fixed Point Protection

The reliable detection of underwater targets in the acoustic environment of a harbour is a well known problem. Constant vessel traffic, noise from continually active depth sounders and a complex thermal structure typify this scenario.

Sentinel has been specifically designed to cope with these adverse conditions and is capable of tracking thousands of targets in real time with only genuine threats causing an alarm that the operator or observer need react to.

Mounted in a either a seabed frame looking upwards or on a permanent harbour wall mount looking across the entrance, Sentinel is easy to install and configure for autonomous operation from a remote monitoring station.

Networked Port Installation

Under the International Ship and Port Facility Code (ISPS code) it is vital to ensure protection against foreseeable events. Sentinel has been designed to operate in a stand-alone or networked mode with multiple sonar heads to enable complete protection of assets within the security zone.

The commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) based processing units can facilitate up to 10 sonar heads per command station, offering a cost-effective solution to large area coverage. The overlay will increase the level of domain awareness in an estuary, coastal environment or complex port and can be totally integrated into a central command system with above water surveillance.

Sentinel's unique detection, classification and tracking software has been proven to operate in the harshest environmental conditions including 'brown' water, noisy, shallow, tidal harbours where vessel activity results in a lot of disturbance in the water column.

Asset Protection

Sentinel's compact size and lightweight design make it a practical solution for rapid mobilisation to meet an evolving threat. With minimum storage requirements, the Sentinel system can be carried on board as part of a mobile or expeditionary security unit, providing a secure underwater perimeter for high value assets.

With the sonar head weighing under 30kg it can be deployed over the side of the vessel or from a jetty by one person using only minimal equipment. Sonar processor and command workstation set-up is an equally simple task with the full system typically configured and online in under 30 minutes.

Providing wide area coverage, Sentinel is designed to provide secure underwater perimeters for both military and civilian assets. These include: naval vessels at anchor in overseas ports, cruise liners in harbour and super yachts moored off the coast.

Energy Infrastructure

The threat of insurgency, vandalism or criminal activity is not restricted to ports or military assets. Any oil and gas installation, whether coastal or offshore, is extremely vulnerable to attack from below and represents a significant threat to a region’s energy supplies Sentinel’s open system architecture allows integration of the subsea security zone with conventional terrestrial security systems, including thermal imaging, radar and ground sensing devices.

Sentinel has been developed from the outset with flexible deployment in mind. It can be mounted from a pole based deployment system, suspended from its combined signal and power cable or mounted on the seabed. Considerations such as ease of installation by divers in low visibility have been taken into consideration in the Sentinel system from the very beginning. Sonardyne has a proven track record in deployment systems and can recommend the most appropriate solution.

Sentinel 500

500 metre maximum detect and track range

Simple user interface

Stand alone (not multi-head enabled)

Sentinel 500 meets the need for a simple, low cost, shorter range diver detection solution.

Whilst range and functionality are reduced compared to the Sentinel 900 and 1500 variations, no compromise in the overall system performance has been made, reliable results with Sentinels renowned low false alarm rates are assured.

Sentinel 500 is a single box solution running on just one PC making it the perfect choice for expeditionary security where ultimate range is not an issue. With a simplified user interface Sentinel 500 can be easily operated by non sonar trained personnel. Whilst range is limited to 500 metres the system will still outperform the majority of “Low cost” diver detection offerings.

With its small footprint Sentinel 500 can easily be integrated into command vehicles, ships bridge or control room.

Sentinel 900

900 metres maximum detect and track range

Simple user interface

Multi-sonar head enabled allowing wider areas to be protected

Track data output to C2 system

Sentinel 900 is the mainstay of the Sentinel family and the most widely used such system in the world.

With consistent tracking of divers out to 900 metres in good acoustic conditions, even in the toughest acoustic environments Sentinel has outperformed other systems in head to head trials.

Sentinel 900 is versatile being available as a self contained, stand alone expeditionary system through to a multi head networked underwater element as part of a fully integrated security package.

Sentinel 900 can be interfaced to a vessels NAVAID package providing the system with vessel position and attitude data ensuring robust and reliable performance for vessel self protection.

Sentinel 1500

Fully automated underwater security solution

Up to 1500m range (>7km2 coverage) per sonar head

Active and Passive Detection and Classification

Man portable allows rapid deployment

Advanced software functionality for trained users

Multiple sonar capability enables extended coverage

Advanced software functionality for trained users

Low power enables remote sonar deployment

Brochure

Sentinel 1500

Sentinel 1500 (Digital Version)

Sentinel 1500 is the extended capability variant of the world’s most widely deployed underwater surveillance system, developed to meet the requirements of military and government security agencies. Sentinel is a field proven sonar system that reliably detects, tracks and classifies underwater targets and the potential threat they present. With the introduction of Sentinel 1500, and its advanced capabilities, users’ requirements of both autonomous and sonar trained operation are satisfied. Sentinel’s 360° detection capability and flexible installation options provide both a rapid expeditionary and robust permanent deployment solution.

Sentinel takes reliable, long range underwater intruder detection to a new level. The system has been developed to detect and track difficult to find underwater targets. The system is small, lightweight, has a low false alarm rate and, once configured, can be left to operate autonomously.

The flexibility afforded by Sentinel’s small footprint, with its full 360° detection area and network head capability, outperforms far more expensive and complex technologies. For expeditionary installations, the system is flexible and capable of rapid deployment by unskilled operators. For permanent installations, the same subsea hardware can be deployed in many different configurations with full functionality providing the user with complete underwater domain awareness.

The state-of-the-art techniques adopted by Sonardyne, deliver class leading performance which has seen Sentinel adopted as the standard by military, government and private agencies worldwide to protect vessels, strategic waterside infrastructure and VIPs.

Features exclusive to Sentinel 1500 enable extended range, pseudo Doppler display, A and B scan and zoom functions offering improved functionality for advanced users.

A Typical System

A typical Sentinel IDS system comprises: a lightweight sonar head, processor platform, command workstation and advanced detection, tracking and classification software.

The Sonardyne Sentinel system has been developed using industry leading techniques, materials and processes. Spares-holding requirements and decreasing future obsolescence issues have been addressed by using COTS based technology.

Sonar Head

The Sentinel sonar head contains the electronics to control the transmitters and digitize and multiplex the received signals from the transducers. The multiplexed data is transmitted to the topside equipment via a copper-based cable for cable lengths up to 100 metres, or via a fiber optic cable for longer lengths.

The sonar head also contains and attitude and heading reference sensor which monitors the orientation of the head and allows the topside processor to automatically compensate for any motion. This enables the system to be suspended by its own cable from moving platforms such as drifting patrol boats or ships on single point moorings. The head is also small enough to be mounted on an unmanned underwater vehicle.

Processor and Software

Pulse compression, beam forming and automatic detection and tracking (ADT) are carried out in two high performance PCs installed in a rugged case. The case also contains the power distribution unit for the sonar head.

The command workstation, a third PC, provides a tactical-style display for the system. This shows the sonar data, track data and alerts overlaid on a chart. If multiple sonar heads are deployed, they are all interfaced to the command workstation via an Ethernet LAN, and the tactical display shows all the sonar coverage in the correct geographical locations on the chart.

The Sentinel software has been written using the latest software techniques, allowing full network connectivity. The command workstation supports track export to an external Command and Control system and can be configured for remote internet access to allow system status reporting from anywhere in the world.