SONOBOUY DEPLOYMENT
 

This may a silly question, I was watching BBC News coverage of the search for the 777 that is missing and they showed a 'Jet MPA' with the sonobouys being thrown out of the side door. Is this a new concept or does the Poseidon not deploy them through chutes.

Photo of a data marker buoy being "launched" from a Aussie C-130 in the South Indian Ocean.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...60_634x446.jpg

That wasn't out the "jet MPA". The P-8A has dedicated sonobuoy launchers.

The sonobuoy was being thrown out of a civilian Gulfstream jet which is also being used in the search. I don't know who is operating it.

KPax

I think that the clip your talking about is 1:06 in on this link

BBC News - MH370 Malaysia plane: Search enters third week

Looks like a 5 Sqn RNZAF crew member to me but most of the rest of the clips look like RAAF AP3.

Good luck to all looking down south

The light blue flag is the RAAF flag not Kiwi...

TBM

Happy with the light blue ensign on the shoulder in the flight deck shots being RAAF.

However, if you pause on the crewman as he loobs the buoy out the P3 door you can see the 5 Sqn RNZAF badge and the ' New Zealand' mudguard.

Interesting to note the Despatchers harness. looks much safer than the one we use in UK - Apart from the RW guys who appear to have more sense.

The buoy is being dropped from a Kiwi P3K2 by a Kiwi Ord (with both mud guards and 5 sqn crest and black/white patch). The sono package in the middle of the shot after the door is closed also gives it away.

Keitou Kalawaca Na Wasaliwa:D

Ventre

Thanks for that. Why out of the door and not out the slanted tubes I wonder?

Some of the 5 Sqn Ordinance men I have had the 'pleasure' of trying to keep up with on 'support' crew during Fincastle home and away wouldn't need the door opening, they would just throw the buoy through the side of the cabin.:)

GGII.

Not too sure as the datum marker buoys weren't in the Kiwi inventory when I flew on 5. It's possible therefore that the buoys haven't yet been cleared for release from the package. It's likely that the Aussies asked the K2 crew to deploy one on their behalf and the door was the only option.

VAT

It's not a sonobuoy
 

They aren't deploying sonobuoys in these pictures. They are self locating datum marker buoys. They are designed to drift with the current and pass their position so that surface drift due to current can be measured.

You're quite correct Cap'n (I believe I called them datum marker buoys). They are however the same size as an A sized sonobuoy and can be dropped as such from a free fall chute. My guess is that the Kiwis hadn't trialed them on the K2 and hence they were dispatched from the door instead.

Guys,

Thanks for the illuminating replies, best of luck to all down south.

dragartist,
I too liked the look of harnesses worn by the Herc Loadmasters. Exactly what we needed in my time to replace the awful ones we did have.
We used to despatch smoke floats, marine markers etc from the para doors on the C130K.

Broadcasting House on Radio 4 this morning had an interesting report from a P-3 involved in the search, though the reporter called it an 'old propellor plane':ugh:.

...if the cap fits...

New harnesses
 

Dragartist

I'm pretty sure the new harnesses are from late 2012 or maybe early 2013. Army ADs are fitted up and signed off but whether the RAAF loadie mafia permit filthy AJs on their precious aircraft is a different matter ....

Like this do that. You guys in the southern hemisphere appear to have more sense when it comes to stuff like this. AA62 has a wealth of experience and would have welcomed such a bit of kit in his day. I never felt particularly safe in one of our belts. Our RW boys ditched it a while back. The guys at Irvin based in Letchworth UK had proposed a similar device to yours some time ago but it was never taken up. The belt was considered safe enough to declare ALARP.


Does anyone know if we [UK] have these Datum Marker Buoys on inventory. I noted from the other thread they were still talking about pyrotechnic smoke floats in relation to ASRA. Would be so easy to take one of PSI (QNA) PADS Dropsondes waterproof it and frig the software so it did not stop transmitting when it stopped falling.