JACKSON, Mich., 19 Feb. 2009. Sparton Corp. won a contract, valued at approximately $34.1 million, to manufacture sonobuoys for the United States Navy. The primary purpose of a sonobuoy is to detect acoustic emissions or reflections from potentially hostile submarines and transmit these signals to U.S. Navy airborne antisubmarine warfare forces.
Sparton's award includes provisions to produce the following sonobuoy models: 31,593 AN/SSQ-53F, and 9,578 AN/SSQ-62E. Final assembly production will occur at the Company's DeLeon Springs, Fla., facility and is expected to be completed on or before September 2010.
The AN/SSQ-53F sonobuoy is a passive acoustic sensor that is used for detection, classification, and localization of adversary submarines during peacetime and combat operations. The SSQ-62E DICASS sonobuoy is an active acoustic sensor that is used in the final localization and attack phase of submarine prosecutions.
Headquartered in Michigan, Sparton is the only U.S.-owned designer and manufacturer of sonobuoys for the U.S. Navy.
