Sensitivity of satellite altimetry data assimilation on a weapon acoustic preset

The purpose of this research is to assess the benefit of assimilating satellite altimeter data for naval undersea warfare. To accomplish this, sensitivity of the weapon acoustic preset program (WAPP) for the Mk 48 variant torpedo to changes in the sound-speed profile (SSP) is analyzed with SSP derived from the modular ocean data assimilation system (MODAS). The MODAS fields differ in that one uses altimeter data assimilated from three satellites while the other uses no altimeter data. The metric used to compare the two sets of outputs is the relative difference in acoustic coverage area generated by WAPP. Output presets are created for five different scenarios, two antisurface warfare (ASUW) scenarios, and three antisubmarine warfare (ASW) scenarios, in each of three regions: the East China Sea, Sea of Japan, and an area south of Japan that includes the Kuroshio currents. Analysis of the output reveals that, in some situations, WAPP output is very sensitive to the inclusion of the altimeter data because of the resulting differences in the subsurface predictions. The change in weapon presets can be so large that the effectiveness of the weapon may be affected.