A acoustic buoy is a hydrophone equipped with radio transmitting equipment that is dropped from aircraft or launched from submarines or ships to listen underwater for underwater sounds such as those made by submarines. The word acoustic buoy is a portmanteau of sonar and buoy.

History and Development
The development of acoustic Sonobuoy was driven by the need to detect submarines during World War II. In 1942, the US Navy deployed the first effective acoustic buoys which could be dropped from aircraft to help detect enemy submarines lurking below the surface. Since then, acoustic buoy technology has advanced considerably with several nations developing new models with improved features. Modern acoustic buoys can relay acoustic data in real-time over long distances and are widely deployed by naval forces globally to monitor ocean environments and detect threats below the sea. Significant technological enhancements over the decades include improved hydrophone sensitivity, longer battery life, greater data storage and transmission capabilities from acoustic buoys to receiving platforms.

Components and Design
A typical Sonobuoy consists of a float package and a sensing package interconnected with a cable. The float package contains a hydrostatic release to release the sensing package at a pre-determined depth, batteries to power the system, a radio transmitter to send data to the receiving platform, flotation material to keep the package floating on the surface and a recovery mechanism. The sensing package generally contains one or more hydrophones to detect underwater sound waves, Analog-to-digital converters to digitize the acoustic data and a data storage module. Active acoustic buoys may also contain a sound source or transponder to help determine location of the detected sound. Acoustic buoys are available in different shapes, sizes and configurations depending on their intended role and environmental conditions. They range from simple systems that just detect submarine signatures to sophisticated integated systems with advanced processing capabilities.

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