India, US to jointly make submarine tracking sonobuoys

India and the US are collaborating to make sonobuoys that are needed to track undersea submarines. US company Ultra Maritime and Indian Public Sector Undertaking Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) are in talks to enhance the undersea domain awareness.

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The project was discussed at the meeting between US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in New Delhi on Monday.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the White House mentioned the collaboration on sonobuoys stating, “This will be through a first-of-its-kind partnership on co-production of US sonobuoys in support of the US and Indian defence industrial bases”.

China has one of the biggest fleet of submarines – around 65 of them—and is now helping Pakistan with the technology. It is also egging on Bangladesh and even gifted a submarine to it. On the eastern edge of the Bay of Bengal, is Myanmar where China has foothold.

A sonobuoy is a sophisticated device used primarily in maritime operations for underwater detection and monitoring. It is a key tool in anti-submarine warfare and oceanographic research.

Militaries deploy sonobuoys from aircraft or ships. Once in the water, they float on the surface or sink to a predetermined depth. Each sonobuoy contains a transmitter and a hydrophone (an underwater microphone). The hydrophone picks up underwater sounds, such as the noise generated by submarine engines.

Sullivan and Doval also discussed cooperation between the US Defence Innovation Unit and India’s Innovations for Defence Excellence to accelerate the joint adoption of cutting-edge commercial technologies for military solutions and capability enhancement of both countries’ defence ecosystems.

India has okayed the purchase of MQ-9B armed drones and the White House mentioned how the progress was reviewed on co-production initiatives outlined in the US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.

The two sides also discussed the ongoing joint venture GE Aerospace and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the co-production of GE F414-INS6 engines to power India’s future fighter jet fleet.