New Canopy to Enter Service

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Spartan

New Canopy to Enter Service

Post by Spartan »

This article is from the Ft. Benning Bayonet; 12.05.03:

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Injuries expected to drop with new chute

Pfc. Eliamar Castanon
Bayonet staff

Airborne Soldiers should expect to see a new parachute system in the next few years that will replace the T-10 model that has been in use since the 1950s.

The Advanced Tactical Parachute System is expected to decrease the landing impact velocity for jumpers, provide a more reliable reserve system than the Modified Improved Reserve Parachute System of the T-10 and improve the harness.

"We were looking for a parachute that will lower the rate of descent and lessen the impact with the hopes and expectations that this would result in a reduction in injuries," said Joe Jones, combat development specialist with the directorate of combat developments.

Rate of descent is the speed at which jumpers fall to the ground.

The T-10 has been modified a number of times but has reached the limits of its growth. A new approach had to be taken, Jones said, resulting in an entirely different design.

The ATPS canopy is not circular in shape, as the T-10 is. It is a highly modified cross-shaped canopy with an inflated diameter 14 percent greater than that of the T-10, with 28 percent more surface area.
The reserve unit is a cone-shaped, center-pull deployment system.

It includes apex scoop pockets at the top of the canopy and skirt assist lines at the system's hem to promote fast opening during low speed malfunctions.

The main container bag is made of Cordura, an abrasion and water-resistant fabric.
Both the ATPS main and reserve canopies are made of low porosity ripstop nylon with Teflon-coated suspension lines.

The entire system weighs 51.2 pounds compared to the T-10's at 44 pounds.

The 14-percent weight increase earns jumpers a 25-percent reduction in rate of descent.

The rate of descent of the T-10 is 22 to 24 feet per second causing a strong landing impact.

The ATPS' rate of descent is 16 feet per second, reducing the landing impact by 53 percent.

The T-10 parachute system was designed when the total weight of a jumper and equipment averaged 300 pounds.

During Operation Just Cause, more than 4 percent of Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, suffered jump-related injuries - 28 rangers and their equipment weighed between 350 and 435 pounds.

"The T-10 was originally intended for jumpers who didn't weigh what Soldiers weigh today and wasn't intended to carry the loads that Soldiers carry today," Jones said.

Other advantages of ATPS are the reserve system and the harness, said Jones.
The ATPS reserve offers improved reliability, he said.

"The ATPS has a reliability of .95, compared to the .75 to .80 of the T-10," he said.

The reserve is also equipped with enhanced deployment techniques, which equal low opening shocks. It may be deployed using either hand, offers a soft loop closure and has a rate of descent of approximately 26 feet per second with low oscillation.

The biggest advantage in the improvements of the harness is the attaching point of the reserve parachute system, said Jones.

When a T-10 reserve is activated, the opening forces are located in the waist area; essentially, this bows the jumper, he said.

ATPS reserve risers connect to the harness in the shoulder area. Now when the reserve canopy opens, the opening forces are passed down through the long axes of the body, minimizing the bow effect.
The harness is also fully adjustable and is compatible with the current and future battlefield equipment.

The T-10 and ATPS are mass tactical parachute canopies, meaning they are not steerable.

Because these are not steerable, distribution is managed by exit sequences and timing, aircraft altitude and speed, wind and canopy drift characteristics, Jones said.

Because ATPS is not a steerable parachute, test developers are still trying to increase the obstacle avoidance variable while in the sky or on the ground, said Maj. Jason Craft, assistant program manager of personal airdrop systems at the Natick Research Laboratories in Natick, Mass.

"The bottom line is that ATPS reduces jump injuries to airborne Soldiers so they're in better condition to go into combat operations," Craft said.

The ATPS is being tested at the Yuma Proving Grounds in Yuma, Ariz. will be fielded between 2005 and 2006.
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Carboned114
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ATPS

Post by Carboned114 »

Spartan

Post by Spartan »

Of course, it's hard enough to stand up in an aircraft with a realistic combat load, so adding more weight to the parachute is kind of stupid.

And of course, slowing the descent to create less injuries is kind of a trade-off in and of itself for a combat situation. Although this chute will be great for training, I would not want to use one to descend into a hot DZ. If more paratroopers get shot in the air cause they are a slower-moving and exposed target for a longer period with no ability to steer and with a very predictable rate of descent, then what you're really doing is trading that off for the number of jumpers who would get injured as a result of impacting the ground for those who will get shot in the air. This just means more purple hearts will be issued.

What is really needed is a chute that has three functions relative to a variable rate of descent:

1. Fully deploys so you can check your canopy and make sure you've got all your gear intact and are a functional unit,

2. The operator can take into 'accelerated descent mode' for a fast descent and reduction of exposure time for enemy shooters.

3. The operator can recover the chute from 'accelerated descent mode' at about 50-75 feet off the ground into 'deccelerated descent mode' for the gentle landing.

Making a paratrooper more vulnerable for a longer period of time and unable to steer away from ground hazards, read 'AAA' and enemy emplacements, is stupid.

As always, someone got fat off this contract and the tradeoff that was made here won't be measured until some monumental combat fuckup where the enemy on the ground was not appreciably counted prior to the drop; IE, due to bad intel.
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Post by Disinfertention »

Im going to get a bullseye and tape it on my nuts. 45 seconds from jump to ground @500ft? That's fucking madness.

I agree with my fellow Rangers. My only difference is I don't even think it should be used for training. If the shitstick can't keep his feet and knees together he doesnt even deserve to wear wings. Airborne school just needs to grab its pussy and wish for a pair of nuts to get hard with.
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Post by Rgr_MindRiot »

While i understand the argument against steerable chutes for mass tactical jumps for certain, less than highly regarded, airborne units, the benefits of steerable chutes for those properly trained and experienced in their use far out-weighs their disadvantage. Personally, i was able to avoid many a mid-air collision with the D-1 and never had to experience a tree landing either. The ability to steer the chute and dump your air to increase descent in high winds saved my ass many times. Although tactical jumps were never what i would call fun, the jumps we made on the weekends with the NG pilots was a blast. Jumping at 15k allowed a lot of play time and you could see exactly what the D-1 could do.
Bell

Post by Bell »

Hawkeye wrote:
When I was at Batt. "shotgunning" meant one side of aircraft exited, then other side.

Shotgunning is both doors go at the same time.
Hey, make up my mind here. I go with the first one. When I was there we "shotgunned" our exits out of fixed wing aircraft. One side of the aircraft, then the other. Each stick had up to 15 guys depending on the length of the drop zone. The only guy that didn't have to go out the door was the last man. You got pushed out that door. We exited one side then the other because of the chance of entanglements.

It was kinda neat. Forget about standing in the door. We ran out the door fast. Could drop over a 100 Rangers on a 30 second DZ.

RLTW
Bell
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Post by PacLiteFAN »

I think this new chute is designed to slow the rate of descent down far enough to allow for 500' training jumps. The best part about it is that it also comes with an entirely new main lift web and reserve. All of us jumpmasters are going to 'love' having to re-learn and pass another JMPI :? For real though, the new reserve (if youre the lucky SOB that has to pull it) is attached to risers on your shoulders. No more breaking you in half in case of a total malfunction.
Hardness training starts NOW!
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Looon
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CHUTES

Post by Looon »

I would rather hit like a SACK OF SHIT than get my nuts shot off.

There is a reason for the fast rate of descent.
Last edited by Looon on January 24th, 2004, 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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