Techniques for providing an ultrasonic flaw detection system are disclosed. A continuous wave of wide-band direct-sequence spread-spectrum signals continuously drives one or more transmitting transducers, thereby flooding a test object with coded ultrasound. In operation, the ultrasonic testing system is capable of reliably and predictably transmitting a high degree of ultrasonic energy (power) to a test object. Code division multiplexing correlation techniques using a variably delayed replica of a selected segment of the DSSS signal are applied to the signals received by the receiving transducers to generate a signature representing the signal returned from all reflectors within the test object.