Abstract:
System and method for aiding the accuracy of airdrop missions by performing localized weather data collection in a column of air and then subsequently storing, decimating and forwarding the data to a remote location. A first aircraft flies to the geographic location of the desired airdrop, deploys an atmospheric conditions sensing dropsonde, collects the data from the dropsonde, stores that data, then transmits that data or a decimated subset of that data either once or any number of consecutive times, to a second aircraft located at a predetermined distance from the first aircraft.