Special forces to use strap-on 'Batwings'

Daily Mail ^ | 6th June 2006 | MATTHEW HICKLEY

[Cannoneer No. 4]

[Joe 6-pack]

"There going to have to englarge the doors on some fixed wing aircraft to get them out of the plane."

I would think the ramps of C130s or Chinooks will be their primary means, and they're already organic to Special Operations Command.

[posterchild]

Brings to mind

Der Schneider von Ulm - Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger (1770-1829) and his attempt to fly across the Danube in 1811.

[Steely Tom]

What gets me is that it looks so simple, it should have been made in the late 1920's. That old B&W clip of the guy using wood wings flying off a bridge and splashing in the water comes to mind. If not in the 20's it should have been ready in WW II.

I was thinking pretty much the same thing. You think maybe that film clip you referred to had anything to do with closing the minds of military people to the idea? I was thinking about how different D-day might have been if they had used these "batwings" instead of those ill-fated gliders to insert our troops behind enemy lines. Of course, back then, they wouldn't have been able to drop our guys from 30,000 ft., but even from 15,000 with a 4:1 glide ratio would have taken them in 10 miles or so, with some safety margin for opening their parachutes.

I envy the special ops guys who get to practice doing this in large formations.

(steely)

[AngryJawa]

I'm not a skydiver, though I'd like to try it someday when my wife's out of town. 8^)

My question is how a jumper will manage to exit the aircraft without having his wings snapped off in the slipstream.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

[peridot]

"persons with a rare kind of bravery and skill"

We're already training them. My husband and I watched some interesting pieces on the Military Channel this past weekend. All about the guys trying to make it into HALO. They're like SEALS but come from the air not out of the water. You probably know this but let me act like I learned something. HALO = High Altitude Low Open.

[Solamente]

Man, I'd like to walk down the streets of NYC with that on so I could enforce my personal space!

[Tzimisce]

Cool.

[Getready]

wonder if a group of them can fly in the "V" formation,
and if the leaders had jet assist, could help the whole
group fly even further?
Wow...they could deliver a suitcase nuke by small parachute
on their opening dive, give it a good long time to detonate, and fly over the
horizon and land in shelter before it goes off. Scary, no?

[Thombo2]

Straight wings better than delta?I follow you.Maybe too much wind resistance for a straight wing?I imagine the d-wing is stronger too.