Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)

Anti-submarine warfare is the set of operations to detect, track, and neutralize hostile submarines, the hardest problem in naval warfare because the ocean hides its quarry. It layers sensors, hull and towed-array sonar on surface ships and submarines, sonobuoys and magnetic anomaly detectors on maritime patrol aircraft, and fixed undersea arrays, with helicopters and torpedoes for prosecution. Protecting carrier groups and sea lines of communication against submarines is a primary mission of the frigate and the maritime patrol aircraft.