  Problem of long-range sound propagation in the randomly-inhomogeneous deep
ocean is considered. We examine a novel approach for modeling of wave
propagation, developed by K.C.Hegewisch and S.Tomsovic. This approach relies on
construction of a wavefield propagator using the random matrix theory (RMT). We
study the ability of the RMT-based propagator to reproduce properties of the
propagator corresponding to direct numerical solution of the parabolic
equation. It is shown that mode coupling described by the RMT-based propagator
is basically consistent with the direct Monte-Carlo simulation. The agreement
is worsened only for relatively short distances, when long-lasting cross-mode
correlations are significant. It is shown that the RMT-based propagator with
properly chosen range step can reproduce some coherent features in spectral
statistics.
