New generation Flexview is the first multibeam sonar to introduce a removable transducer, enabling rapid field service with lower downtime

KONGSBERG launched the new, high-resolution version of its Flexview multibeam sonar at Ocean Business 2019 (April 9-11, National Oceanography Centre, Southampton). Where the original Flexview operated at 500kHz, KONGSBERG’s latest multibeam technology allows the new model to boast an operating frequency range of between 950-1,400kHz – a significantly higher resolution.

With its modest dimensions, the lightweight Flexview is tailor-made for small, observation-class ROVs for which compact size and ease of deployment are fundamental preconditions. Flexible and efficient, it is suitable for applications ranging from site inspection and clearance, marine engineering and underwater science to environmental monitoring or search and rescue assignments.

Offering both CHIRP (Compressed High-Intensity Radar Pulse) and Doppler modes of operation to detect subsea objects, the new-generation Flexview sonar supplies high-resolution images at short range and high-quality, distortion-free, rapidly-updated images at a range of up to 70m over a 140° sector. This functionality enables the sonar to search for and locate underwater targets far more quickly and efficiently than would previously have been possible.

In addition, the Flexview’s innovative removable transducer – an industry first – not only allows onsite replacement of a damaged transducer in the event of any impairment, but is also future-proofed to facilitate the exchange of new, task-specific transducer configurations as and when the need arises.

“The new-generation Flexview really raises the bar in terms of high-resolution image quality and coverage,” says Colin Smith, Product Manager, Kongsberg Mesotech.

Story by Kongsberg