Herman Hum
25 Jan 07, 14:53
Here's an interesting overview of some of the sonobuoys used by the US Navy.
Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts
Posted 25-Jan-2007 05:04
Defense Industry Daily - Daily news for procurement managers and defense contractors (defense procurement, military acquisition, defence purchasing) (http://defenseindustrydaily.com)
Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of a submarine (active detection). They usually float, or have at least some part of them that does. Specialized sonobuoys can also detect electric fields, magnetic anomalies, and bioluminescence (light emitted by microscopic organisms disturbed by a passing submarine); as well as measuring environmental parameters like water temperature versus depth, air temperature, barometric pressure, and wave height.
Sonobuoys are generally dropped from aircraft or helicopters that are equipped with a means to launch them, and electronic equipment to receive and process data sent by the sonobuoy. They can also be launched from ships.
This entry will discuss some of the new sonobuoys in use, and also begin covering related contracts....
In the broadest sense, sonobuoys fall into 2 categories. Active sonobuoys emit pings or otherwise create an effect that will bounce off of underwater objects like submarines. Passive sonobuoys simply sit and look for emissions or other telltale signs they've been programmed to monitor.
AN/SSQ-101: Part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system. IEER was developed in for large-area search capability against small submarines operating in littoral waters. The system combines a new sensor, the AN/SSQ-101 Air Deployed Active Receiver (ADAR) sonobuoy with improved software in the P-3C Orion Anti-surface Warfare Improvement aircraft. The ADAR sonobuoy employs a multi-element planar hydrophone array to improve detection in shallow littoral waters. When coupled with the powerful USQ-78A acoustic post-processor, it enhances the US military's to effectively prosecute the difficult task of ASW search in littoral waters.
AN/SSQ62E: The current generation of the DICASS family of active sonobuoys. The key advantage of the AN/SSQ-62E is that it permits each sonobuoy to transmit on any of 4 acoustic channels and their respective RF channels. Optional thermal battery technology allows DICASS sonobuoys to be shipped and stored in a relatively unrestricted manner with an extended shelf life, as this battery does not degrade significantly with time. In large scale production, and procured by the US, Canada, Netherlands, and Spain.
AN/SSQ-53F: The latest generation passive sonobuoy for the US Navy, replacing replaces both the AN/SSQ-57 and the AN/SSQ-53. Combines the functionality of a calibrated omni sensor with that of the AN/SSQ-53E DIFAR, and further enhanced through the incorporation of digital technology in the form of embedded Digital Sound Processors. This allows for improved acoustic performance and permits all AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys to be calibrated to a common response curve. Additional flexibility is achieved through the use of Command Function Select (CFS), allowing various operating parameters to be modified after the sonobuoy has been dropped.
Listening Sticks: US Navy Sonobuoy Contracts
Posted 25-Jan-2007 05:04
Defense Industry Daily - Daily news for procurement managers and defense contractors (defense procurement, military acquisition, defence purchasing) (http://defenseindustrydaily.com)
Sonobuoys are used to detect and identify moving underwater objects by either listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery (passive detection), or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of a submarine (active detection). They usually float, or have at least some part of them that does. Specialized sonobuoys can also detect electric fields, magnetic anomalies, and bioluminescence (light emitted by microscopic organisms disturbed by a passing submarine); as well as measuring environmental parameters like water temperature versus depth, air temperature, barometric pressure, and wave height.
Sonobuoys are generally dropped from aircraft or helicopters that are equipped with a means to launch them, and electronic equipment to receive and process data sent by the sonobuoy. They can also be launched from ships.
This entry will discuss some of the new sonobuoys in use, and also begin covering related contracts....
In the broadest sense, sonobuoys fall into 2 categories. Active sonobuoys emit pings or otherwise create an effect that will bounce off of underwater objects like submarines. Passive sonobuoys simply sit and look for emissions or other telltale signs they've been programmed to monitor.
AN/SSQ-101: Part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system. IEER was developed in for large-area search capability against small submarines operating in littoral waters. The system combines a new sensor, the AN/SSQ-101 Air Deployed Active Receiver (ADAR) sonobuoy with improved software in the P-3C Orion Anti-surface Warfare Improvement aircraft. The ADAR sonobuoy employs a multi-element planar hydrophone array to improve detection in shallow littoral waters. When coupled with the powerful USQ-78A acoustic post-processor, it enhances the US military's to effectively prosecute the difficult task of ASW search in littoral waters.
AN/SSQ62E: The current generation of the DICASS family of active sonobuoys. The key advantage of the AN/SSQ-62E is that it permits each sonobuoy to transmit on any of 4 acoustic channels and their respective RF channels. Optional thermal battery technology allows DICASS sonobuoys to be shipped and stored in a relatively unrestricted manner with an extended shelf life, as this battery does not degrade significantly with time. In large scale production, and procured by the US, Canada, Netherlands, and Spain.
AN/SSQ-53F: The latest generation passive sonobuoy for the US Navy, replacing replaces both the AN/SSQ-57 and the AN/SSQ-53. Combines the functionality of a calibrated omni sensor with that of the AN/SSQ-53E DIFAR, and further enhanced through the incorporation of digital technology in the form of embedded Digital Sound Processors. This allows for improved acoustic performance and permits all AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoys to be calibrated to a common response curve. Additional flexibility is achieved through the use of Command Function Select (CFS), allowing various operating parameters to be modified after the sonobuoy has been dropped.