Submarine detection systems are an aspect of

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typi ...

. They are of particular importance in nuclear deterrence, as they directly undermine one of the three arms of the

nuclear triad A nuclear triad is a three-pronged military force structure that consists of land-launched nuclear missiles, nuclear-missile-armed submarines, and strategic aircraft with nuclear bombs and missiles. Specifically, these components are land-based ...

by making

counter-force attack In nuclear strategy, a counterforce target is one that has a military value, such as a launch silo for intercontinental ballistic missiles, an airbase at which nuclear-armed bombers are stationed, a homeport for ballistic missile submarines, or a ...

s on submarines possible.

Types of system

They break down into two broad categories; acoustic and non-acoustic. Acoustic systems in turn break down into

active sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

systems and

passive sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on or ...

systems designed to detect the

acoustic signature The term acoustic signature is used to describe a combination of acoustic emissions of sound emitters, such as those of ships and submarines. In addition, aircraft, machinery, and living animals can be described as having their own characteristic ...

of submarines such as

SOSUS The Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) was a submarine detection system based on passive sonar developed by the United States Navy to track Soviet Navy, Soviet submarines. The system's true nature was classified with the name and acronym SOSUS them ...

. Non-acoustic systems can work on a variety of different physical principles, including the use of

magnetic anomaly detector A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material cr ...

s and systems such as

SOKS SOKS, or System Obnarujenia Kilvaternovo Sleda (russian: Систем Обнаружения Кильватерново Следа, "wake object detection system"), is a nonacoustic submarine detection system created by the Soviet Union. SOKS funct ...

, which are believed to work by detecting phenomena such as trace chemicals, heat changes, and radioactivity left in a submarine's wake. There is evidence that some

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

submarines are fitted with wake-detection systems.

Types of system

References

Further reading