In todays anti submarine warfare (ASW), sonobuoy emplacement is necessary for target detection and tracking as improperly placed sonobuoys can create poor localization regions. The need for placement accuracy from higher altitudes will be required as the P-8A Poseidon comes on line. Sonobuoy emplacement within historical required accuracies becomes nearly impossible when deployment occurs from high altitudes. Currently, to attain such accuracies, the P-3 must deploy sonobuoys at low altitudes. An air release point is calculated for each sonobuoy based on altitude and wind profile to achieve a desired splash point. Broadening this deployment methodology to include high altitude deployment above 20,000 ft (6100 m) would be insufficient because of the greatly increased amount of time each buoy would be airborne. Increased descent time increases error due to unknowns in the deployment environment which creates a splash point error that is too great for proper placement of deployed sonobuoys. SeaLandAire will address these issues while keeping changes to the package and production cost of the buoy to a minimum. Subsequently, added sensor systems, guidance and navigation systems, and/or other hardware must be kept simple and cost-effective to achieve the programs goals.
Benefit: The technology developed under this SBIR will provide the capability of safe, affordable, high altitude precision deployment over a broad spectrum of sensors and environments. SeaLandAire plans to continue participation in the SBIR TAP program to identify and exploit potential opportunities. DARPA, NAVAIR, SPAWAR, and NOAA are among potential users. SeaLandAire will continue to pursue these leads through the course of the project. Experience with government test ranges will provide ample opportunities for presenting the opportunity and gauging interest in terms of potential users. Target costs will be established early in the program to help focus on the eventual transition to production. SeaLandAires extensive experience in the process of designing complex electro-mechanical systems, building, testing, and transitioning the technology into low-cost, higher volume production designs will improve the likelihood of optimal solutions to many systems.
Keywords: altitude measurement, altitude measurement, High Altitude, Sonobuoy, Parachute, precision emplacement, Deployment, P-8 MMA, descent stabilization
