International military-technical company Thales at the conference of the Surface Fleet Association in Arlington, Virginia, showed video, where towed CAPTAS sensors for detecting underwater objects are being installed on a civil vessel. The company representative approves, that the sensors can be mounted on any ship within 48 hours, which will allow even commercial ships to detect submarines.
The sonar system is currently being installed on new US Navy Constellation-class frigates., and is also used on the ships of some NATO allies.
It's a modular system, which can be installed on any ships, Mark Bock, vice president for strategy and business development at Thales, told Defense One..
The CAPTAS system consists of a long cable with a sensor, which, being under water, signals about submarines. Unlike current bow sonar, used by the Navy to detect submarines, low frequency variable depth sonar can be placed at depth, which has the highest probability of target detection.
Earlier, the head of the US Armed Forces Transportation Command, General Jacqueline Van Ovost, said, that the American army plans to actively use civilian ships and aircraft for military purposes in the vast expanses of the Pacific Ocean. General stated, that the Pentagon is considering deploying military advisers on merchant ships along with special communications equipment, which give ships a better picture of enemy positions.
The author of the article in Defense One wonders, would it mean using civilian ships for military purposes, that they can be attacked by the enemy. It turns out, according to the current international law of a clear classification, what ships can be considered military, and which civil, no. It all depends on the specific situation..
meanwhile, the US Navy says, that merchant ships, included in the intelligence system of the enemy's armed forces or in any way assisting it, can be attacked and destroyed by aircraft or surface warships with or without advance warning.
Behind the brackets is the question of whether, whether equipment from a Western company for military use will be installed on commercial ships with the consent of the captains and owners, or, especially in real war conditions, such retrofitting will be forced. Author:Alexander Grigoriev Photos used:Thales
