View source for AN/WQX-2

The '''AN/WQX-2''' is a [[diver detection sonar]] used for [[defense against swimmer incursions]] by the [[US Navy]]. Its primary function is finding range and bearing of the detected swimming target (surface or submerged) relative to the sonar. The sonar uses a complex set of track analysis heuristics and image classification algorithms to separate swimmers and divers from schools of fish, marine mammals, drifting debris and bubbles from boat wakes.{{r|nlsn|page= 4}} This information allows personnel to locate and potentially neutralize potential threats.

In accordance with the [[Joint Electronics Type Designation System]] (JETDS), the "''AN/WQX-2''" designation represents the second design of an Army-Navy electronic device for combined surface and underwater sonar for identification and recognition. The JETDS system also now is used to name Coast Guard systems.
* ''AN/'' - Army/Navy nomenclature system
* ''W'' - Water surface and underwater combined
* ''Q'' - Sonar and underwater sound
* ''X'' - identification and recognition
* ''2'' - Second type in this family of equipment

==History==
The WQX-2 was developed by the Applied Research Laboratories, [[University of Texas at Austin]] (ARL: UT) in the 1990s. Once developed, it was integrated into the Waterside Security System (WSS) and installed at several Navy sites worldwide.{{r|nlsn|page= iii}} [[Sonar]] parameters including [[beam width]], [[frequency]] and transmitted power, were all optimized for swimmer detection. The WQX-2 can automatically detect, track, classify and alert users on both surface swimmers and divers in a 360-degree, {{convert|800|yd|m}} coverage area.{{r|nlsn|page= 3}} It provides the user with range and [[Bearing (navigation)|bearing]] information of the detectde target. Using the Command, Control, Communications, and Display (C<sup>3</sup>D) console, this information is converted to a [[GPS]] position.{{r|nlsn|page= 4}} Currently, the WQX-2 does not provide [[Depth (coordinate)|depth]] information of the swimmer to the user.{{r|nlsn|page= 5}}

A presentation by the [[National Defense Industrial Association]] in the early 2000s described short-term and long term efforts to improve WSS subsurface operations. Planned efforts included adopting AN/WQX-2 software to other [[commercial off-the-shelf]] (COTS) products in the short-term,{{r|dtic|page=8}} while modernizing the WQX-2 itself in the long term.{{r|dtic|page=9}}{{r|spawar}} Modernizations were made to the processor's software and hardware components of the sonar for a next generation AN/WQX-2 Advanced Capability (ADCAP) and included a new user interface.{{r|spawar}} 

During the summer of 2003, the [[US Coast Guard]] tested an Integrated Anti-swimmer System (IAS) which used an improved WQX-2 system.{{r|trb|pp= 2, 3}} The much improved IAS included a reduced soundhead weight from {{convert|1100|lbs|kg}} to less than {{convert|200|lbs|kg}}.{{r|trb|p=2}} Based on "highly successful testing", the Coast Guard bought the systems and deployed them for operational use.{{r|trb|p= 3}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Electronics}}
*[[List of military electronics of the United States]]

==References==
{{reflist |refs= 

<ref name=nlsn>{{Citation |url= http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sti/publications/pubs/td/3138/td3138cond.pdf |title= Non-Lethal Swimmer Neutralization Study |date= May 2002 |access-date= May 28, 2025 |publisher= US Navy Space and Naval Warfare System Center (SPAWAR) |location= [[San Diego]], California |type= Report |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060427061028/http://www.spawar.navy.mil/sti/publications/pubs/td/3138/td3138cond.pdf |archive-date= April 27, 2006 |url-status= usurped}}</ref>

<ref name=dtic>{{Citation |url= http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2003homeland/targ.ppt |title= Opportunities For Innovation & New Technologies - The Challenge of Force Protection |last= Targosz |first= Leopold L, Jr |type= PowerPoint |publisher= National Defense Industrial Association |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20031224090606/http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2003homeland/targ.ppt |archive-date= December 24, 2003 |access-date= May 28, 2025}}</ref>

<ref name=spawar>{{Citation |url= http://www.spawar.navy.mil/depts/d30/d37/d372/wss/updates.html |title= Watefront Physical Security - Updates |date= July 31, 2002 |publisher= US Navy Space and Naval Warfare System Center (SSC San Diego) |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20050216105940/http://www.spawar.navy.mil/depts/d30/d37/d372/wss/updates.html |archive-date= February 16, 2005 |access-date= May 28, 2025 |url-status= usurped}}</ref>

<ref name=trb>{{Citation |url= http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/archive/Conferences/MTS/1A%20WalkerPaper.pdf |title= Coast Guard’s Underwater Port Security R&T |last= Walker |first= Ric |publisher= US Coast Guard Research and Development Center |location= Groton, Connecticut |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160306233720/http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/archive/Conferences/MTS/1A%20WalkerPaper.pdf |archive-date= March 6, 2016 |access-date= May 28, 2025 |url-status= dead}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last1= Krueger |first1= Kenneth |last2= Maldonado |first2= Bernard |year= 1996 |title= Swimmer Detection Sonar (AN/WQX-2) |publisher= Applied Research Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin |type= Technical Manual}}
* {{Cite book |last= Rehn |first= Karl W |year= 2000 |title= WQX-2 Sonar Capabilities |publisher= Applied Research Laboratories, The University of Texas at Austin |type= Technical Manual}}

[[Category:Diver-detector sonars]]
[[Category:Military sonar equipment of the United States]]
[[Category:Military electronics of the United States]]

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