SBE 41 is an instrument by sea -bird scientific, any commoner can get equipment with all technical papers. It is a CTD instrument. Even student glider teams can order a large batch of these, but moreover SBE 41 is not optimized for Gliders.
SBE 41 Argo CTD
www.seabird.com
While, The part is more likely this* which is called
glider payload module-GPCTD (Glider Payload Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) which is the main item purchased for a glider, in some conditions
a team can choose to make their own CTD housing or protrude the sensor as per their wish,with custom standalone sensors:
*
Glider Payload CTD (GPCTD)
www.seabird.com
It is
not an ADCP -Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, but a profiling equipment,
used for profiling of CTD, (and whatever sensor can be installed in payload module, pH, oxygen, nitrate saturation etc. if it fits). Moreover, it is
not made by SLOCUM, but by
SeaBird Scientific, a specialized version of
GPCTD was installed on SLOCUM Gliders.
And once more, these are not the
actual sensors, but the part which provides a
continuous uniform flow into/through sensors fitted into the module.
There is no reason these wouldn't be sold to China, or in fact being manufactured in China like most of the sensor parts. They wouldn't need to copy it but can directly purchased from the manufacturer.
these are
quite common or in fact low-level scientific measurement instruments, so what is vital is decryption of GPS and INS to data to figure out where the glider was deployed at and from which location it was dropped at sea. And getting Iridium or Beidou subscription information to figure out the owner.
Technical drawing of the payload module: