Sonobuoy Launched small UAV system

The Navy and other government-sponsored agencies use the P-3 aircraft. Due to the diverse missions and limited number of P-3 aircraft, the most economical and expeditious way to enhance operations and assure crew safety would be to incorporate low-cost expendable tactical unmanned air vehicles (UAV's). If UAVs were incorporated into each P-3, a load-out of sonobuoy launched UAV's with interchangeable payloads (i.e., IR, TV, RF, HS, etc.) tailored to the specific mission could be locally launched, be controlled by the on-board sensor operator, and assist the platform in carrying out its mission. It would serve to enhance sensor capability and, in effect, allow the aircraft to operate in several areas at the same time due to the UAV's capability to detect/confirm contact data and relay information to the special missions crew without forcing the aircraft to leave station. The UAV would keep the crew safe because it could penetrate and operate in areas deemed hostile for manned operations.