$10M for IEER Sonobuoys
ERAPSCO in Columbia City, IN received a $10 million firm-fixed-price contract for AN/SSQ-101 sonobuoys and associated data. The AN/SSQ-101 sonobuoys are dropped from various airborne platforms, then float in the water and send out sonar signals to search for submarines. Work will be performed in Columbia City, IN (50%) and DeLeon Springs, FL (50%), and is expected to be complete by April 2007. The contract was not competitively procured. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Crane, IN issued the contract (N00164-05-C-6763).
The AN/SSQ-101 sonobuoy is part of the Improved Extended Echo Ranging (IEER) system.
IEER was developed in response to the fleet need for a 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 UIII Anti-surface Warfare Improvement aircraft.
The ADAR sonobuoy employs a multi-element planar hydrophone array to improve detection in shallow littoral waters. This improved sensor, when coupled with the powerful USQ-78A acoustic post-processor, will enhance the US military’s to effectively prosecute the difficult task of ASW search in littoral waters. DCMilitary.com: Fleet supports NAVAIR flight test
