Developments in sonar technologies and their applications

Sonar and array technologies have been developed over more than 100 years. This paper gives an exposition of the demands of today to sonar technologies in particular dictated by their applications. While multibeam sonar is discussed more in depth, other sonar types like side-scan, synthetic aperture and parametric array based sonar will also be mentioned. Applications of sonar for underwater activities are discussed like for instance seafloor excavation, laying of cables and tubes, offshore oil-, gas- and mineral-production, hydrography and bathymetry, underwater archaeology, fishery and biomass studies, naval applications like ASW, mine- and torpedo-hunting, studies of underwater structures in harbours and investigations of wrecks. Finally, future applications, for instance based on the adaptation of a new, light weight, dual frequency, low-power consumption sonar like RESON's SeaBat 7130 for use in 12¾ inches diameter UUV's, is discussed.