Sonobuoy Glide-Kit Development for Rapid and Precise Delivery

Barron Associates, Inc. has developed a unique and innovative design for precision-guided sonobuoy delivery. A compact glide-kit encloses the sonobuoy and deploys aerodynamic surfaces in-flight to provide glide and maneuver capability. The glide-kit fits within a compact design volume and has minimal impact on the interior sonobuoy volume. Barron Associates custom guidance and control (G & C) algorithm provides accurate targeting to command the glide-kit with sonobuoy payload to a specified touchdown location and can achieve precision touchdowns even in presence of unknown wind disturbances. The Phase II effort will focus on enhancing the design for full-envelope operation and flight-testing the glide-kit. The flight test demonstrations will include autonomous testing that utilizes the G & C algorithms implemented onto custom autopilot hardware. Barron Associates has teamed with Virginia Commonwealth University UAV Group to develop a low-cost integrated navigation hardware/software solution. In addition to the flight test efforts, Barron Associates will perform a manufacturing analysis to determine unit production costs.