Support Equipment

Deep-water multibeam sounding system

Also known as
  • 深水多波束测深系统
  • 全海深多波束测深系统
  • deep-water multibeam echosounder
  • deep-water multibeam sonar system
  • full-ocean-depth multibeam sounding system
  • full-ocean-depth multibeam echosounder

Deep-water multibeam sounding system is a Chinese full-ocean-depth hydrographic survey sonar class for seabed mapping from shallow water to 11,000 m. Chinese official reporting credits the program to a Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Acoustics-led effort, with early trials on Shiyan 3 and a later Haixun 08 GONDOLA installation for full-ocean-area surveying.

Deep-water multibeam sounding system, Hydrographic survey system, Support Equipment
Image source: China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipment
Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
China
Type
Hydrographic survey system
Service note
Prototype accepted in 2014; engineering application project accepted in 2018; Haixun 08 shipboard fit documented in 2024.
Designed
c. 2008-2018
Produced
Prototype accepted in 2014; engineering prototype accepted in 2018.

Specifications

Operating depth envelope
20-11,000 m
Documented Haixun 08 depth
Up to 10,000 m
Prototype acceptance depth
11,000 m
Typical operating frequency
About 12 kHz
Array layout
Separate hull-mounted transmit and receive arrays
Demonstration survey lines
More than 6,000 km in the South China Sea, northwest Pacific, and Indian Ocean
Initial test platform
Shiyan 3 research vessel
Mounting
GONDOLA hull structure
Survey role
Full-ocean-area bathymetric surveying
Companion systems
Medium-water and shallow-water multibeam sounding systems
Carrier Vessel

Haixun 08 carries the system in a GONDOLA structure for full-ocean-area surveying.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
Haixun 08, Hydrographic survey and patrol ship, Naval SystemsHaixun 08Hydrographic survey vessel

The China Society article says Haixun 08 uses a GONDOLA structure to carry a deep-water multibeam sounding system for full-ocean-area surveying.

Sources: China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipment

Documented vessel connection

The source documents the sensor as part of Haixun 08's survey suite; no direct source ties the sensor itself to separate conflict use.

Sources: China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipment

Survey-System Context

The system is a shipboard hydrographic sensor, so its strongest public context is the Chinese full-ocean-depth program's move from prototype trials to documented shipboard survey fits.

ContextSourced detail
Prototype phaseOfficial reporting says the system reached an 11,000 m maximum detection depth and was tested aboard Shiyan 3.
Engineering phaseThe later application-demonstration project covered 20-11,000 m mapping and more than 6,000 km of survey lines in multiple ocean areas.
Haixun 08 fitHaixun 08 is documented carrying a 10,000 m-capable deep-water multibeam system in a GONDOLA structure with medium- and shallow-water companion systems.
Timeline

Deep-water multibeam sounding system Key Events

  1. Domestic prototype accepted

    China's Ministry of Science and Technology said the deep-water multibeam project passed acceptance after producing a domestic prototype with a maximum 11,000 m detection depth.

    Sources: MOST: Deep-water multibeam system acceptance

  2. Engineering application project accepted

    The China 21st Century Agenda Management Center reported acceptance of the full-ocean-depth engineering and application-demonstration project led by the CAS Institute of Acoustics.

    Sources: ACCA21: Full-ocean-depth multibeam acceptance

  3. Institute explainer details sensor layout

    The CAS Institute of Acoustics published a technical explainer describing hull-mounted transmit and receive arrays, the roughly 12 kHz operating frequency, and real-time beam-stabilization needs.

    Sources: IOA CAS: Measuring 11,000 m water depth

  4. Haixun 08 shipboard fit documented

    The China Society article described Haixun 08 carrying a 10,000 m-capable deep-water multibeam system in a GONDOLA structure alongside medium- and shallow-water multibeam systems.

    Sources: China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipment

Media

Deep-water multibeam sounding system Images

Deep-water multibeam sounding system, Hydrographic survey system, Support Equipment - view 1
Source: China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipment
Related Weapon Systems
Medium- and shallow-water multibeam sounding system, Hydrographic survey system, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentMedium- and shallow-water multibeam sounding systemHydrographic survey systemMedium- and shallow-water multibeam sounding system is a shipboard hydrographic survey sonar class used for bathymetric mapping in coastal and mid-depth waters. Xiamen University lists a Kongsberg EM 710 1° x 1° fit under the Chinese medium- and shallow-water designation, while Kongsberg describes the EM 710 as a configurable 70-100 kHz multibeam echo sounder for high-resolution seabed mapping. Haixun 08 is documented carrying medium- and shallow-water multibeam systems in a GONDOLA structure alongside a deep-water multibeam system.
Lapérouse-class hydrographic survey ship, Hydrographic survey ship, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsLapérouse-class hydrographic survey shipHydrographic survey shipThe Lapérouse class is a French Navy hydrographic survey ship class built at DCN Lorient for SHOM. The three ships combine coastal and deep-water survey work with satellite communications, multibeam and towed sonar sensors, hydrographic launches, and light defensive armament. SHOM describes La Pérouse, Borda, and Laplace as second-class hydrographic ships used by its Atlantic hydrographic and oceanographic group, with replacement planned through the CHOF future hydrographic and oceanographic capability program.
Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP), Current profiling instrument, Support EquipmentSupport EquipmentAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP)Current profiling instrumentAcoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) is a hydroacoustic current-measurement instrument that uses Doppler-shifted sound returns to profile water-current speed and direction through the water column. Teledyne RD Instruments, Nortek, NOAA, NASA, and USGS sources document ADCPs as shipboard, moored, seafloor, buoy, vehicle-mounted, and river-discharge instruments, with the cataloged Haixun 08 fit showing how this commercial sensor class appears in a hydrographic survey-vessel suite.

Sources

China Society: Haixun 08 survey equipmentPublisher: China Society | Note: Supports Haixun 08 carrying a deep-water multibeam sounding system in a GONDOLA structure, the 10,000 m survey capability, and image provenance for the article photos used on this page. | Accessed: 2026-06-29MOST: Deep-water multibeam system acceptancePublisher: Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China | Note: Supports the Chinese domestic development context, the project-team background, and the reported 11,000 m prototype capability for the deep-water multibeam system class. | Accessed: 2026-06-29ACCA21: Full-ocean-depth multibeam acceptancePublisher: China 21st Century Agenda Management Center | Note: Supports the CAS Institute of Acoustics-led engineering-application project, the 20-11,000 m operating envelope, Shiyan 3 installation, and more than 6,000 km of application-demonstration survey lines. | Accessed: 2026-06-29IOA CAS: Measuring 11,000 m water depthPublisher: Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Note: Supports full-ocean-depth multibeam operating principles, approximate 12 kHz frequency, hull-mounted transmit and receive array layout, real-time beam stabilization, and 20 m shallow-end capability. | Accessed: 2026-06-29