default Comparison between predictions made by the SUPREMO sonar performance model and measured data

Comparison between predictions made by the SUPREMO sonar performance model and measured data. Prior, M.K. : Baldacci, A. SR-429. July 2005.

Predictions of acoustic reverberation and target echo intensity, made by the SUPREMO sonar performance model, are compared with measured data gathered in the Malta Plateau region of the Mediterranean Sea. The model’s ability to predict these quantities is assessed and used as a measure of model performance. It is shown that the model, when given satisfactory input descriptions of the ocean environment, is capable of predicting reverberation intensity to modal errors of magnitude around -1dB with a spread of ±4dB around the modal values. Furthermore, the model is shown to be able to predict trends in signal-to-background intensity ratio as pulse centre frequency is varied between values of 1100Hz, and 1700Hz with bandwidths of 200Hz and 800Hz. The model-measured agreement observed indicates the suitability of the SUPREMO model for use within an environmentally adaptive, low-frequency, active sonar system.