Poseidon crews sharpen submarine-hunting skills

A RAAF P-8A Poseidon deployed sonobuoys to search for a Singaporean submarine during an anti-submarine warfare activity on Exercise Bersama Lima 2026.

Working alongside a New Zealand Defence Force P-8A Poseidon crew, the Australians put their training into practice, using the sensors to listen beneath the surface and search for the submarine from the air.

For lead acoustics operator, SGT Aaron Mitchell, interpreting those sounds was central to the job.

“My job entails using sonobuoys to detect, classify and track submarines,” SGT Mitchell said.

The sensors provide acoustic information to operators aboard the aircraft, who must distinguish sounds of interest from surrounding noise. Their findings help the crew decide what to do next.

“The role of an acoustics operator requires a lot of analytical skills – the ability to pick what's different from everything else,” SGT Mitchell said.

He said communication was equally important, allowing operators to share what they were seeing and help the crew continue tracking a submarine.

The activity with the Singaporean submarine gave the crew an opportunity to apply its training alongside partners using different equipment and procedures.

“Everyone has different assets that they use and the training that they provide,” SGT Mitchell said.

“Being able to test our skills alongside theirs on an exercise like this is a great opportunity.”

On the flight deck, co-pilot FLGOFF Callum Morgan faced the challenges of Singapore’s tropical weather and busy airspace, while working with the mission crew to carry out the task.

“[We had] Changi right next door,” FLGOFF Morgan said.

“It [was] tricky, but a good challenge up on the flight deck.”

Working with the New Zealand P-8A crew also provided an opportunity to compare procedures.

FLGOFF Morgan said the similarities between Australian, New Zealand and Singaporean procedures helped personnel work together cohesively.

Within the Australian aircraft, that same cooperation connected the flight deck with the operators managing the submarine search.

“It really is a cohesive unit across the whole crew. Everyone has their part to play,” he said.

For SGT Mitchell, bringing those individual skills together to complete a complex mission was one of the most rewarding parts of the role.

“We're all key in making a mission successful,” he said.

“Being able to go away with them on exercise, on operation, and achieve a mission that realistically is quite complex is very, very, very rewarding.”