Development of a secure, interoperable and highly scalable standard for underwater acoustic communications
Since 2019, Newcastle University have worked, in collaboration with MoD/DSTL and Sonardyne international, to develop a open waveform standard for underwater acoustic communications. This is a highly scalable waveform capable of supporting everything from very short command/control messages up to streaming compressed voice between divers. It can also be used in a wide range of frequency bands to trade off data rate/packet duration versus maximum range. A key feature of the waveform is that it has been designed from the beginning with security in mind, including a number of physical layer security features which reduce probability of detection, interception and exploitation, in addition to more traditional data encryption techniques. This talk will describe the waveform design/capabilities, recent field testing results in UK waters and the Mediterranean, and potential application in the control and navigation of marine robots.