Ukraine’s Zvook tests passive hydrophones for underwater acoustic monitoring

Ukrainian tech startup Zvook is conducting research and development into hydrophones engineered for passive underwater acoustic monitoring. The developer identifies maritime defence, shipping, port security, and monitoring of critical subsea infrastructure as potential operational applications for the technology.

Unlike active sonar systems that emit acoustic pulses and process signal reflections, the Zvook system remains acoustically silent. It leverages ambient underwater soundscapes to detect, track, and classify targets.

The company notes that the subsea acoustic environment differs significantly from airborne acoustic propagation due to distinct speed-of-sound profiles, background noise floors, multipath reflections, and oceanographic conditions. Consequently, Zvook is currently focusing its efforts on collecting real-world environmental datasets to determine which target classes can be reliably identified using passive acoustic sensing.

The project is currently in the research, development, and field-testing phase, with the company framing the system as an ongoing evaluation effort rather than a mature product. For joint commercial and operational trials, Zvook is seeking partnerships with defence organisations, maritime operators, infrastructure managers, and systems integrators.

Earlier, Defender Media reported on the new MV11 uncrewed surface vessel, developed by the Ukrainian-British enterprise UFORCE and unveiled to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day.