An artist’s impression of a high-altitude ASW sonobuoy being dropped from a helicopter. (Photo: X/@NethajiSoldiers)
New Delhi: The United States secretary of state, Antony Blinken, approved the sale of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) sonobuoys and related equipment to India, on Friday. This transaction, valued at approximately $52.8 million, is in line with the process of deepening defence ties between New Delhi and Washington.
This comes as the defence minister, Rajnath Singh, is in the US on a four-day trip to strengthen bilateral defence and strategic cooperation between India and the US.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), a division within the US Department of Defense, provided the necessary certification and formally notified Congress of this potential sale. The equipment list includes AN/SSQ-53G high-altitude anti-submarine warfare (HAASW) sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-62F HAASW sonobuoys, AN/SSQ-36 sonobuoys, along with technical publications, data documentation, and comprehensive support services.
This proposed sale is aimed at bolstering India’s anti-submarine warfare capabilities, particularly enhancing the operational effectiveness of its MH-60R helicopters, which the Indian Navy commissioned into service in March this year. The sonobuoys will significantly improve India’s ability to detect and track submarines, thereby augmenting its maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions.
The DSCA said the main contractors for this sale are Sparton Corporation, based in De Leon Springs, Florida, and Undersea Sensor Systems Inc (USSI), located in Columbia City, Indiana. It further said there are no known offset agreements associated with this sale.
This sale aligns with the United States’ foreign policy and national security objectives by reinforcing the US-India strategic relationship. It also contributes to the security of a key defence partner, which plays a crucial role in maintaining political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific region.
India is expected to seamlessly integrate this equipment into its armed forces, with no anticipated difficulties. The DSCA has assured that this sale will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
What are HAASW sonobuoys?
Sonobuoys are expendable, electro-mechanical ASW (anti-submarine warfare) acoustic sensors designed to relay underwater sounds of ships and submarines, including unmanned underwater vessels. They can be air-dropped sonobuoys or ship-laid sonobuoys.
General Atomics Sea Guarding MQ-9B Deploying ASW Sonobuoypic.twitter.com/btEvPWh4Jw
— Defence Decode® (@DefenceDecode) April 4, 2023
The HAASW (high-altitude anti-submarine warfare) sonobuoys are dropped, usually by using small parachutes, from helicopters, aeroplanes, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs/drones) from high altitudes on the ocean where they float and enable naval and other ASW forces to track potentially hostile submarines operating in the open ocean and in coastal areas.
