Yes, our Orion anti-sub aircraft are equipped with air-dropped sonobuoys with both passive and active sonar. The active equipment can map the ocean floor...
Uh, I think you may be thinking of something other than a 'pinger' sonobuoy.
Active sonobuoys are used to localize targets quickly and accurately in extreme environmental conditions, against a very quiet submarine, or in an attack mode. The released acoustic energy enables an accurate location from the sonobuoy in both range and bearing to the submarine. When two or more “fixes” are obtained the speed and the course of the target can be established. Active buoys use a transducer to introduce acoustic energy into the water and to manipulate the return echoes which are amplified and for VHF radio transmission. These buoys are designed for deeper depths than passive buoys.
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Sonobuoys