US Tests New Sensor Mast With Upgraded Tracking Ability on Navy Ship

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — A prototype for a low-cost, elevated sensor mast has been tested for the first time on a US Navy vessel, with the promise of improving a ship’s ability to detect, track and classify potential threats, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced in a press release on Thursday.

"The crew of USS Zephyr, a 174-foot (53-meter) Cyclone-class patrol coastal ship, evaluated the technology demonstration system over three days near Naval Station Mayport, Florida," the release stated.

In tests, the Towed Airborne Lift of Naval System (TALONS) significantly improved the ship’s ability to not only to detect and track threats, the unit also increased the communications range between the ship and remote platforms such as the Zephyr’s rigid hull inflatable boats, the release said.

Towed behind boats or ships, TALONS could persistently suspend intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance instruments and communications payloads of up to 150 pounds at altitudes between 500 and 1,500 feet above sea level — many times higher than current ships’ masts — greatly extending the equipment’s range and effectiveness, the release added.

TALONS was developed in a joint-effort by DARPA, the Department of Defense agency that specializes in exotic inventions, and the Office of Naval Research, according to the release.