Why should such a system should be developed? With the capability of launching ballistic and nuclear missiles, coupled with stealthy quietness, today's submarines are a very potent force to be reckoned with. They can sneak up along an enemy coastline and launch several missles and be gone before the enemy knew what hit them. Several Third World countries are acquiring their own nuclear submarines, and the threat of an attack on American (or any other nation's) soil is very possible.

Not only is the possibility of attack on land feasible, but so is that of attacks on busy shipping lines. Such an attack could seriously disrupt trading of resources between countries and could throw the economies of several nations into chaos.

To stop the submarines, they have to be found, and the conventional method of 'pinging' is not a very feasible option for a few reasons. First, the oceans are huge, and the chances of locating an enemy submarine without any knowledge of its whereabouts is extremely difficult. Second, if an enemy submarine is found with short range pinging, ships have only a few minutes to react before it is in danger of being sunk by the submarine.

The use of the LFAS system would neutralize this threat since it can scan vast distances without the need of endangering human lives. Once the enemy submarine was found, it would provide several precious hours to decide on an attack plan. And while the ships would know the submarine's location, it would not know where the ships sent out to hunt it were (since that detection would require pinging which would reveal its position).