Miniature Air Launched Rawinsonde and Dropsonde (MALRD)

ABSTRACT: Accurate, in-situ meteorological data are an essential part of any flight-test program or airborne weapon test. Present methods to gather such data are subject to drawbacks including spatial inaccuracy, asset availability, and simple inefficiency. An in-situ radiosonde system capable of deployment from nearly any military aircraft would solve this problem, by allowing for the spatially precise deployment of sensors in the test airspace without placing any undue burden on other range assets or requiring additional flight time from the test aircraft. The proposed solution is centered on the MALRD (Miniature Air Launched Rawinsonde and Dropsonde). This device will be compatible with common countermeasures dispensing systems and be capable of operation as either a dropsonde or upsonde (rawinsonde). It will measure meteorological variables including pressure, temperature, relative humidity, and winds, and return the data to either aircraft- or ground-based receivers. Phase I work will involve developing designs for upsonde, dropsonde, and combined variants of the MALRD. Key enabling technologies will be tested in the laboratory. Phase II work will involve building MALRD prototypes and conducting live flight tests. BENEFIT: The market need being addressed by this technology is the need to obtain meteorological data at a precise point in space and time. An aircraft-deployable sonde can be precisely deployed unlike any other in-situ sensor. The MALRD will have applications in both test and operational scenarios for all branches of the military. Derivatives of the MALRD may be deployed from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, rockets, artillery shells, or other precision delivery methods. A radiosonde derived from the MALRD could be used as a ruggedized radiosonde for surface launches as well.