a suspension system for an air - dropped sonobuoy includes a transducer housing wherein the upper portion is emptied upon deployment of a float . the weight distribution of the transducer and housing provides for a center of mass and a center of buoyancy at a location beneath a pivot in the upper portion of the housing . a suspension line connects the pivot with the float , and a pair of opposed extensible fins at the top of the housing locate the center of hydrodynamic pressure at the pivot . thereby , the housing is maintained in a stabilized vertical attitude during descent through the water and during deployment at a predetermined depth independently of a difference in velocity of fluid movement at the float and at the sonobuoy .