The U.S Army Is Trialling New Parachutes That Drop Whole Tru

A new parachute system has been tested by the US Army, which enables soldiers to retrieve airdropped equipment 40 percent faster.

This capability is known as the Rapid Rigging De-Rigging Airdrop System (RRDAS). Instead of using conventional honeycomb-like cardboard layers and steel palettes that can shatter upon surface contact, RRDAS employs reusable, self-inflating airbags.

This approach reduces excessive honeycomb and cuts rigging time by 25 percent, requiring only 10 airbag modules to securely move payloads from the air to drop zones.

“The end state is that it will reduce the de-rigging time by about two and a half hours primarily through the reduction of the use of honeycomb so soldiers on the drop zone won’t have to use axes, shovels, and picks,” US Army Force Sustainment Systems Product Manager David Emond said.

“Currently, once the vehicle crushes the honeycomb soldiers have to cut out all the honeycomb around the vehicle’s tires to be able to drive it off.”

Conventional cargo payloads are typically cushioned with a honeycomb-like cardboard material between the vehicle or other heavy item and the steel palette that carries it from an aircraft to the ground.

Furthermore, RRDAS features a stabilization mechanism to ensure a vehicle will land in its correct position.

“The system has deployable outriggers on it. If it is a high center of gravity load with a chance of tipping over when it hits the ground, these outriggers kick out and will stop it from flipping over,” US Army Combat and Service Support Product Manager Maj. Matthew Rohe explained.

The RRDAS can be flown as low as 750 feet (229 meters) above ground level and transport carry loads weighing 5,000 to 22,000 pounds (2,270 to 9,980 kilograms).

“We will be able to increase the load of the payload and the length of the platform so we can drop heavier and longer items. We’ll be testing on and off at Yuma for several years to come,” Rohe concluded.

The RRDAS development trials are anticipated to conclude later this year, with the complete implementation of this capability planned for 2025.