ALMDS....mine finding fasers

link

The AN/AES-1 ALMDS electro-optical system, which will be among the first airborne organic mine countermeasure (OMCM) systems fielded, is designed to detect, classify, and pinpoint floating and near-surface moored mines using a light detection and ranging (LIDAR) imaging sensor attached to the side of a Navy MH-60S helicopter.

The system, which will be part of the mine countermeasures (MCM) mission package on the new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), is designed for rapid wide-area reconnaissance and assessment of anti-ship mines in coastal waters

it says later in the story that it makes a 3d image on the water column from surface level to about 40 feet using LIDAR and some other tricks im sure

Easier than training Dolphins. :-P

Thats an aerodynamic looking beast! It must be ramming that air in to cool it?

I wonder if that is the limit of LIDAR or if it could be upscaled even more for deeper detection but from my diving days I seem to recall that all colored light is filtered out within 18 meters (which is pretty close to 40 american feet) so perhaps that is the limit regardless?

a reply to: penroc3

Wouldn't it be using radio waves in the microwave band, making it a maser?

Definitions for faser

Maser
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a reply to: chr0naut

that is a typo i missed when i could still change it....

originally posted by: penroc3
a reply to: chr0naut

that is a typo i missed when i could still change it....

All good, happens to the best...

Even I didn't read it properly before replying. It would be laser, not maser as it uses light detection (LIDAR).

None the less, thanks for posting.