GPS Technology Improves Airdrop Accuracy, Lessens Danger To ground Troops

You may be unfamiliar with the name, but dropsondes are on the cutting edge of technology, replacing both forecast weather and ground reports.

"A dropsonde is merely a meteorological device that we use to collect weather information from the altitude of the plane to the surface," explained Maj. Daniel DeVoe, the chief of Air Mobility Command's mobile training team.

"Once we get that information, the navigator on board the aircraft recalculates a release point for the cargo, based on the new weather information," added Capt. Andrew Purath, training mission commander.

"Previously, we had to rely on either forecast weather or what people were reading on the ground," he said. "Until now we didn't have a good idea of what was going on with the winds all the way to the ground."

Take it from the pilots: "The dropsonde gives us a better understanding of what winds are doing at the time we release the cargo," said Tech. Sgt. Steven Hayes, a C-130 Hercules combat tactics loadmaster. "With this data, the cargo is given the optimal chance of reaching where it needs to be for the troops on the ground."

The benefits for ground troops go beyond the accuracy of the drop, Capt. Dale Stanley, a C-130 navigator, through the use of GPS technology, to help aircrews make more accurate airdrops.

"If we can get the load closer to the ground team, especially in a combat environment, it keeps them from having to put themselves in danger," he added.

In the end, that is what the dropsonde project is all about: accomplishing the mission and coming home safely.

FMI: www.af.mil, www.ncar.ucar.edu