EXPENDABLE SONOBUOY FLIGHT KIT DEPLOYMENT AND COMMUNICATIONSSYSTEM

摘要

Disclosed herein is an expendable flight kit attachable to a sonobuoy or sonobuoy shaped object for making use of said sonobuoy as a central structural load-bearing component o f a flying assembly, the kit comprising rigid aerodynamic surfaces to provide lift and stability; a propulsion system; a plurality of control surfaces and surface actuators; a flight control system , the flight control system being operable for receiving mission parameters including sonobuoy deploymen t co-ordinates, the flight control system being operable for autonomously navigating and steerin g the flying assembly; the flying assembly operable to be launched from a ship; the flight control system operable for separating the sonobuoy from the flight kit while in flight at an acceptable proximity to a pre-designated set of co-ordinates, wherein after separation of the sonobuoy from the flight kit, both the sonobuoy and the flight kit fall into the water.