Towed arrays, sonobuoys, and ASW picket tactics

Will new sensor developments let ASW escorts dispense with towed arrays and maintain position while scanning?

Not completely. Self-propelled sonobuoys may help, but towed systems and dash-and-drift tactics should remain valuable for a long time.

Work on self-propelled sonobuoys may give anti-submarine forces another sensor, but it is unlikely to make towed sonar obsolete. Towed arrays still provide useful detection performance even though they constrain a ship's movement. Dash-and-drift patterns should remain central to an ASW picket's work. New sensors supplement established search tactics.