Software system could detect swarming boats.

• Author: Tadjdeh, Yasmin

Swarms of armed, fast-moving boats have the potential to attack or overwhelm Navy ships, but a product being developed by Northrop Grumman could detect such threats quicker, one executive said.

The system, called the Blue Wide Area Situational Processor, or Blue WASP, uses data collected by existing sensors and radars onboard a vessel to track if nearby ships are potential threats, said Sean Love, director of business development at Northrop Grumman Mission Systems' intelligence solutions division.

An operator monitoring radar may be looking at thousands of blips on a screen each representing a ship, he said.

"But what if we can very quickly identify potential threats on the horizon in an area where the operator isn't necessarily focusing because they are so far out?" he said.

By doing that, Blue WASP can more quickly identify potential threats--such as swarms of vessels or suicide boats--giving sailors more time to react, Love said.

During a recent test simulating a swarming attack, the system was able to identify threats 40 percent faster than a typical operator would, he said.

Northrop is currently concentrating on U.S. customers and has been working with a variety of different users to refine the system, he added.

"In some cases we're working through what I would call pilots, in others cases it's really, 'Hey, this is something that we think is applicable, we'd like you to try it out and provide us feedback,'" he said. Northrop is not necessarily "looking to shrink wrap this and put it on the shelves at Best...