ARLINGTON, Va., 8 Jan. 2016. U.S. Navy researchers are pursuing another initiative to use electro-optical sensors to improve the situational awareness of surface warship crews — this one to develop a visible-light and infrared sensor able to image the entire area around the ship, from 360 degrees of horizon to straight above the vessel.
This imaging dome around and above the ship would enable ship crews to maintain situational awareness in the open ocean, along coasts, and inside harbors to detect, locate, and track potential airborne and surface threats like missiles and fast attack boats.
Officials of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in Arlington, Va., issued a request for information Thursday (N00014-16-RFI-0002) for the Hemispherical Imaging for Situational Awareness project to create a dome of imaging capability around surface ships.