Precision High Altitude Sonobuoy Emplacement (PHASE), is a current Phase II SBIR effort investigating sonobuoy hardware and software adaptations to facilitate highly accurate placement from high altitude launches.
Within this program, SeaLandAire developed hardware modifications that are immediately interchangeable with the current production sonobuoy parachute housing, limiting costs typically associated with such a design change. The modifications enable passively stable sonobuoy flight paths that can be predicted by a corollary SeaLandAire-developed ballistics model to achieve highly accurate placement locations without the use of GPS or active controls. Throughout the effort, SeaLandAire tested each hardware revision by instrumenting mechanical sonobuoy mockups with a sensor suite, and deploying them from various airborne platforms, including hot air balloons, helicopters, and small turboprop aircraft.
PHASE is currently featured in the Navy SBIR/STTR Transition Program and will be featured at the 2024 Navy League Sea-Air-Space Symposium (https://seaairspace.org/). Check it out at https://navystp.com/ under Virtual Transition Marketplace (VTM)! Just search for SeaLandAire Technologies!