A High Accuracy Air-Launched XBT

The Sippican Corporation has completed the development of an Air-launched Expendable Bathythermograph (AXBT) which combines the depth capability and accuracy of the T-7 XBT probe with the fine grain structure of the T-ll probe. This program represents the culmination of over five years of effort at Sippican, beginning with a study contract sponsored by the Office of Naval Research in 1976. To date over 500 buoys have been tested with the results supporting the original design objectives. Although this system was designed to meet the requirements for the Navy´s AN/SSQ-36 Bathythermo- graph Transmitter Set (BTS), it also provides improved performance to the scientific community.