Lockheed awarded $16.4 million

has received a $16.4 million U.S. Navy award to add enhanced capabilities to the airborne mine countermeasures (AMCM) Common Console, currently in development for the MH-60S helicopter.

To be completed by 2008, the work establishes an additional funding increment to a $76.6 million contract awarded in October 2005 to integrate the Common Console with the AMCM system.

Designed by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, New York, the Common Console will enable the AMCM operator aboard the aircraft to find and destroy mines at sea by launching and controlling the two mine detection systems and three mine neutralisation systems that comprise the AMCM system.

In the new funding increment, the principal upgrade to the Common Console is a new sensor data computer. In addition to providing greater processing throughput for the AMCM system, the new computer will feature fewer processing cards than its predecessor, thereby reducing weight and improving maintainability. Other upgrades include improved light balancing so that the operator can more easily see the console's instrumentation while wearing night vision goggles, and easier internal console access for Navy maintenance staff.

The two mine detectors in development for the AMCM suite are the AN/AQS- 20A sonar array and the Airborne Laser Mine Detection System (ALMDS).

The US Navy is testing the Common Console aboard a MH-60S helicopter with the AN/AQS-20A sonar array, a device towed by the aircraft through the sea to detect mine-like objects.

The three mine neutralisers in development for the AMCM suite are the Airborne Mine Neutralisation System (AMNS), the Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS), and the Organic Airborne and Surface Influence System (OASIS).