GeoSpectrum Technologies, an Elbit Systems’ subsidiary, has introduced the C-Bass family of compact, very low frequency (VLF) long-range acoustic underwater transducers.

Generating high power at very low frequencies from a small source is a technological challenge, with current high-power underwater VLF sources available on the market being extremely large, costly and requiring a crew of at least a dozen people to operate. Addressing these deficiencies, the C-Bass family of underwater transducers offers a deployable system that is small in size and weight but still maintains the high power and frequency range (bandwidth) of legacy systems.

C-Bass transducers’ ranges exceed 2,500 km and can effectively operate under ice. Subsea applications include: communication/transmission from shore or surface units to submarines; divers’ alert and communications; communication with UUV for control/positioning; mine sweeping; and augmentation of submarine signatures when transiting in or out of ports or narrow passages.

Various sizes and configurations range from the 20-cm-diameter configuration that can fit in a medium UUV up to the 1.1-m-diameter unit that can be used in a multi-source high-power configuration for seismic exploration.