The AN/SQQ-32 is a mine

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

-hunting sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 system. Developed by Raytheon

Raytheon

Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

 for the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

, it includes an active sonar for detecting objects on the surface, in the volume, and on the bottom of the ocean

Ocean

An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...

, and another sonar for classifying those objects as mines or non-mines. The classification sonar is a product of Thales Underwater Systems

Thales Underwater Systems

Thales Underwater Systems , formerly known as Thomson Marconi Sonar, is an international defence manufacturer specialising in sonar systems for submarines, surface warships, and aircraft as well as communications masts and systems for submarines. TUS is a subsidiary of Thales Naval, part of the...

. The two sonar transmitter/receivers are in a towed body which can be configured to attach to the bottom of the hull for shallower water or trail aft of and/or below the mine countermeasures ship such as the Douglas Fir hulled USS Patriot

USS Patriot (MCM-7)

USS Patriot , an , is the third U.S. Navy ship of that name.Patriot was launched 15 May 1990 by Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin, and commissioned 13 December 1991 in Charleston, South Carolina. Commander Michael J. O'Moore, a native of Brooklyn, New York, was the commissioning Commanding...

. Electronic systems within the ship process

Signal processing

Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...

 and display

Display device

A display device is an output device for presentation of information in visual or tactile form...

 the signals.

The SQQ-32 system became operational in 1990 and is currently installed on all mine countermeasures ships in the Avenger

USS Avenger (MCM-1)

USS Avenger is the lead ship of her class of mine countermeasures ship, and the third U.S. Navy ship of that name.-Service history:...

and Osprey

USS Osprey (MHC-51)

USS Osprey is the lead ship of Osprey class coastal mine hunters, and the fourth U.S. Navy ship of that name....

classes. The AN/SQQ-32(V)3 upgrade provided new user consoles, and was introduced to the fleet in 1999.

See also

• Joint Electronics Type Designation System
  Joint Electronics Type Designation System
  The Joint Electronics Type Designation System , which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to...