Which device is deployed by aircraft or ships to detect submarines using onboard sonar sensors?

Which device is deployed by aircraft or ships to detect submarines using onboard sonar sensors?

• A. Sonobuoy
• B. Towed array
• C. MAD
• D. Link 16

Answer: (A)

Acoustic submarine detection with expendable sensors deployed by air or surface units. A sonobuoy is dropped from an aircraft or launched from a ship and carries its own hydrophones and electronics onboard. It uses onboard sonar sensors to listen for submarine noises (passive mode) or to emit a brief ping and listen for echoes (active mode). The collected data is relayed back to the launching platform, allowing rapid wide-area surveillance and, with multiple buoys, triangulation to locate the submarine. A towed array is a long hydrophone line dragged behind a ship and remains connected to the vessel, not typically deployed by aircraft; its role is similar in purpose but involves different deployment and operational use. MAD (magnetic anomaly detector) detects submarines via magnetic field disturbances rather than sonar signals, and Link 16 is a data-link system, not a sensor.

Acoustic submarine detection with expendable sensors deployed by air or surface units.

A sonobuoy is dropped from an aircraft or launched from a ship and carries its own hydrophones and electronics onboard. It uses onboard sonar sensors to listen for submarine noises (passive mode) or to emit a brief ping and listen for echoes (active mode). The collected data is relayed back to the launching platform, allowing rapid wide-area surveillance and, with multiple buoys, triangulation to locate the submarine.

A towed array is a long hydrophone line dragged behind a ship and remains connected to the vessel, not typically deployed by aircraft; its role is similar in purpose but involves different deployment and operational use. MAD (magnetic anomaly detector) detects submarines via magnetic field disturbances rather than sonar signals, and Link 16 is a data-link system, not a sensor.