ERAPSCO, a joint venture of Sparton and Ultra Electronics, has been awarded a potential $1 billion contract to build and deliver 932,500 sonobuoys for the U.S. Navy.

The contract for the sonobuoys, which detect and transmit underwater audio to submarines and ships using built-in air-launched electromechanical acoustic sensors, covers AN/SSQ-62F, AN/SSQ-53G, AN/SSQ-36B and AN/SSQ-101B, the Department of Defense said Thursday.

Fifty-one percent of work will be done in De Leon Spring, Fla., and the rest will take place in Columbia, Ind. Work is expected to be completed by September 2025.

No funds have been obligated at the time of award and individual orders will be funded as they are issued.

The joint venture has been developing products for the U.S. Navy since 1987.

In 2017, the Navy authorized as many as 166,500 AN/SSQ, worth $219.8 million order.

A sonobuoy typically detects, tracks and pinpoints potentially hostile submarines operating in the open ocean and in coastal areas by listening for the sounds produced by propellers and machinery or by bouncing a sonar "ping" off the surface of the submarine.

This information can help enable precision attacks with air-launched torpedoes, according to ERAPSCO, which claims to be the largest producer of sonobuoys in the world with combined deliveries of over 10 million units.

Sonobuoy capabilities include taking the temperature and barometric pressure of ocean layers at different depths.

USS Stethem arrives at new homeport in San Diego
Washington (UPI) Jul 19, 2019 - The USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived at its new homeport in San Diego after 14 years

operating from Japan in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Arleigh Burke-class ship, which entered the Navy port in the Southern California city Thursday, was first based there when it joined the fleet in 1995 but went to Yokosuka in June 2005.

"Naval Base San Diego is excited to welcome the officers and crew of USS Stethem to the Navy's Finest Installation," Naval Base San Diego Commanding Officer Capt. Mark Nieswiadomy, said in a news release. "Stethem is joining one of the fastest growing fleet concentration areas in the world, and my team and I are standing by to provide first class support to the sailors and families of this fine warship in order to make their transition from 7th Fleet to 3rd Fleet as smooth as possible."

In San Diego, Stethem will undergo maintenance and modernization, including the latest combat system suite of air defense, ballistic missile defense, surface warfare and undersea warfare capabilities.

The ship conducted exercises and visited ports in Australia, Bahrain, China, Indonesia, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Thailand. It also provided disaster relief, as well as search and rescue missions.

Stethem at one time operated alongside the now decommissioned aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk.

The ship operated in Resilient Shield 18 with partner units in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to certify the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and U.S. ballistic missile defense ships.

In 2017, the ship joined aircraft carriers USS Ronald Reagan, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz, as well as South Korean warships, in a joint naval drill.

In 2011, the ship supported Operation Tomodachi for relief to Japanese citizens affected by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It also helped search for a missing Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-35 in April.

USS Stethem returned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations on June 30.

Crew members are nicknamed "Steelworkers" in honor of the ship's namesake, Steelworker 2nd Class Robert D. Stethem, a Navy diver who was killed by terrorists after the hijacking of Flight TWA 847 in 1985.

"It has been an honor and privilege for Steelworkers and our families to be part of the forward deployed Naval Forces-Japan community for the last 14 years," Cmdr. John Rummel, the destroyer's commanding officer, said it in a Navy news release on July 1 while en route to San Diego. "The opportunity to serve alongside incredible waterfront shipmates and operate with our Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force allies, flexing every mission area in the most challenging operational environment, is truly unmatched."

Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

U.S. joins 11 NATO allies for Breeze 2019 maritime exercise in Bulgaria
Washington (UPI) Jul 15, 2019
The United States and 11 NATO allies began their participation in the nine-day Breeze 19, a maritime exercise hosted by Bulgaria that included three U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft. The exercise began Friday and is scheduled to conclude on July 21 near Varna in the Black Sea, according to a Naval news release Monday. The annual exercise, led by the Bulgarian navy, also includes units from Albania, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania, Turkey and Allied Maritime Command NATO. / ... read more