OVERVIEW: The AN/SSQ-50B CASS (Command Activated Sonobuoy System) is an "A-size" range-only active sonobuoy.


DETAILS: The AN/SSQ-50B CASS is a range-only capable of pinging when commanded through a UHF radio link. It is capable of deploying from 60 to 1,500 feet and utilized one of sonar frequencies fixed at 6.5, 7.5, 8.5 or 9.5 kHz. It has a 30 min lifespan and is capable of being controlled at ranges from 0-10 nm at altitudes from 500-10,000 feet and up to Sea State 5.


NOTES: Last USN production order in 1982. As of 1988 the AN/SSQ-50B was manufactured only for non-US militaries.


SOURCES: Friedman, Norman, and Norman Friedman. The Naval Institute Guide to World Naval Weapon Systems, 1997-1998. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 2006, pg. 656 ; Holler, Roger A. "THE EVOLUTION OF THE SONOBUOY FROM WORLD WAR II TO THE COLD WAR." U.S. Navy Journal of Underwater Acoustics (2014): 339. www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a597432.pdf