NUWC Division Newport engineering team wins ONR Prize for Affordability

Photo By Richard Allen | The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport vSONAR Team, winner of the 2017 Office of Naval Research Prize for Affordability, includes Sarah Edwards (front row seated, from left), Ken Andronowitz (team lead), Matthew Exley (second row, from left), Jon Maruska, Adam Arrighi, Steve Fastow (back row, from left), Tyler Tucker, Jason Bard, Miguel Minino, and Richard Chenier, all from the Sensors and Sonar Systems Department. Team member not in photo: Keith Peters.  

NEWPORT, RI, UNITED STATES

10.26.2018

Story by Public Affairs Office 

Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport

NEWPORT, R.I. — The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Newport vSONAR Team has won the 2017 Office of Naval Research (ONR) Prize for Affordability.
This prestigious award is granted annually to a Department of the Navy (DON) scientist, engineer or group who has had the most impact on the future availability of affordable technologies for naval forces. Such impact must be nationally recognized in the DON and national technical community. This is the second time in three years that NUWC Newport employees have won this award.

This innovative engineering team, from NUWC Newport’s Sensors and Sonar Systems Department, has developed and demonstrated an initiative that addresses the high cost of maintaining onboard tactical surface ship and submarine sonar training systems.

The team thoroughly investigated and developed a virtual, machine-based solution that meets physical hardware requirements for three independent hardware baselines of AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 sonar systems. The solution supports training, analysis and development efforts across multiple tactical baselines and is used with University Affiliated Research Centers and Navy laboratories to support system and fleet performance assessments. Application of the solution for training to support multiple tactical baselines could provide a major cost reduction in overall hardware costs yielding savings of approximately $800,000 per tactical baseline.

The vSONAR team members include Ken Andronowitz, engineering team lead, Adam Arrighi, Jonathan Maruska, Steve Fastow, Richard Chenier, Keith Peters, Matthew Exley, Sarah Edwards, Jason Bard, Miguel Minino and Tyler Tucker. The team members will receive their award certificates and plaques at a future ONR award ceremony.

NUWC Division Newport, part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), is one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. NUWC Division Newport’s mission is to provide research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, undersea offensive and defensive weapons systems, and countermeasures. NUWC’s other division is located in Keyport, Washington.

• Date Taken: 10.26.2018
• Date Posted: 10.26.2018 16:23
• Story ID: 297923
• Location: NEWPORT, RI, US