@notapilot: the wreckage is lying at a depth of around 3,000 meters; It wasn't a fix for the lack of other means, this system is supposed to be more efficient (like 20 times faster) than classical towed pinger locators. Egyptians already used Alseamar services for Sharm-El-Sheikh crash and the Russians at Sotchi.
@Coagie: detection range is said "typically 4-5 km", which doesn't mean it's under near perfect conditions but rather an operational range. But you are right, this system doesn't need either a dedicated ship to operate and can be deployed fast enough and at long distance from whatever asset available on the spot. H/V Laplace was close enough to be send there though.
DETECTOR-1000/6000: the latest acoustic detection system
DETECTOR-1000/6000 is a very efficient, long range acoustic detection system for locating acoustic pingers. It can cover very large areas in a small amount of time speeding up search operations.
Key features
Extremely long detection range (typically 4 to 5 km for black boxes)
Simple and robust
Easy to use, even in poor weather
Immediate deployment from various platforms: vessel of opportunity, helicopter, submarine, inflatable boat etc.
Equally suitable for deep water and shallow water
Intuitive and user friendly interface
Increased coverage speed (by a factor of 20)
Dramatically reduced Search and Recovery costs
Recorded signals can be made available for Post Processing and use by Investigators (optional)
Isolates natural sounds such as whale song to accurately locate a beacon
Applications
Search and Recovery operations : Underwater Locator Beacons (ULBs), NATO aircraft pingers and distressed submarine signal
Drug enforcement: detection and localization of underwater drugs canisters