Precision High Alitude Sonobuoy Emplacement (PHASE)

In today’s 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.