LONG TERM GOAL The long term goal of this effort is to demonstrate that MCM reconnaissance systems presently under development and planned for use in UUV platforms can be used to make critical environmental measurements while operating in the MCM reconnaissance mode. In addition, it is planned to investigate the possible feedback of the environmental information measured on-scene into the UUV for use in automatically adapting the programmed mode setting of the platform to account for changing

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... vironmental conditions. OBJECTIVES The objective of this project is to determine the potential of and develop capabilities for the Toroidal Volume Search Sonar (TVSS) to provide in situ environmental measurements of use by the MCM force for predicting MCM system performance, determining optimum mode settings, and in conjunction with other remote sensing systems, providing an overall environmental scene description of the MCM objective area. The environmental parameters targeted are sediment classification and properties (grain size, porosity, strength, etc.) using the vertical incident TVSS beam, bathymetry using multi-beam concepts, sediment roughness using the TVSS as a side scan sonar, and areal sediment property provincing and segmentation using the sediment classification, multibeam bathymetry, and side scan data. As stated above, the longer term objective is to use the on-scene measurements as feedback into the platform's processor in order to change programmed system mode settings on-the-fly in order to maintain optimization of the system's performance. The TVSS is presently under development at the Naval Surface Warfare Center's Coastal Systems Station (CSS), Panama City, FL and is planned as a major component of the future Remote Minehunting System (RMS).