Posted on 03/26/2007 5:01:19 PM PDT by SandRat
Paratroopers, riggers, jumpmasters will make more than 3,200 test jumps.
FORT BELVOIR, Va., March 26, 2007 – The Program Executive Office Soldier is testing a new parachute system that the Army plans to use to replace the system in use since the 1950s.
The new parachutes address increased weight requirements and provide additional safety benefits. Beginning in 2008, all T-10 parachutes in the Army inventory for more than 50 years will be replaced with the Advanced Tactical Parachute System T-11. Although the T-10 is a proven system, today's paratroopers face increased requirements beyond the T-10's design.
Paratroopers are required to carry more equipment than in the 1950s, when the total weight of the soldier, parachute system and combat load averaged 300 pounds. The T-11 is designed to carry a paratrooper with a total jump weight of 400 pounds safely to the ground.
According to Lt. Col. John Lemondes, PEO Soldier's product manager for clothing and individual equipment, the T-11 Reserve Parachute is more reliable and much safer than the T-10.
"The T-11 harness improves paratrooper comfort and integration with the parachute and mission equipment," he said. "The T-11 main canopy design results in a much smoother deployment sequence, minimizes oscillation and significantly reduces the rate of descent, which will result in many fewer jumper-related injuries. It will ultimately result in more soldiers available for duty because of fewer injuries."
A key safety benefit of the T-11 is a significantly slower rate of descent averaging 18 feet per second, resulting in a 25 percent reduction in impact force over the T-10. The T-11 achieves the slower descent by having a canopy with a 28-percent larger surface area than the T-10, while weighing only seven pounds more. Additionally, the main canopy design results in minimal oscillation after inflation and after lowering the combat load.
Operational testing of the T-11 began in January under the supervision of the Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate and PEO Soldier. It is being tested by XVIII Airborne Corps paratroopers, riggers and jumpmasters who will make more than 3,200 test jumps from through October to ensure its suitability for use in mass-tactical, static-line operations.
Under the current fielding plan, the 75th Ranger Regiment, the Rigger School and the Airborne School will receive the T-11 in 2008-09. The 82nd Airborne Division will receive the new parachute in 2009-11 and T-10s will be replaced Armywide by 2014.
GREEN LIGHT GREENLIGHT JUMP! JUMP! JUMP!
Are you crazy, the plane is still flying?
What is the significance of the "Blood on the risers" comment in the title?
They don't make an airplane big enough to hold all the people it would take to throw me out of it. I bungee jumped out of a hot air balloon once, but I ain't never ever gonna jump out of anything with a parachute.
"Gee, Sarge, you mean to tell me this 'chute is 59 years old?"
It's a very fine line between speed and hang time and I doubt the XVIII Airborne Jumpmasters will be the least bit shy about telling the "LEG SCIENTISTS/ENGINEERS" very directly what's wrong.
"blood on the risers" is the Airborne theme song, to the tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic...
"There was Blood upon the risers, There were brains upon the chute,
Intestines were a-dangling from his paratrooper's boots"
Did you jump?
A little, at first...
When asked why they jump out of a perfectly good aircraft airborne troops give one or both of two replies - It was made by the lowest bidder and there's no such thing as a perfectly good airplane over a DZ.
It's from a song that Airborne Troopers will sing while running at Jumpschool at Ft Benning and at the EM/NCO/Officer Club and Airborne/Airmobile Instatlations.
I really could have used this improved chute, on a bad day in 1986.
http://www.west-point.org/greimanj/west_point/songs/bloodontherisers.htm
The Design not the chute.
I'm confused. An improved, steerable chute was coming out when I went to jump school, thirty years ago. I did one jump with that and four with the T-10.
It's in use for SPECOPS but not general use. Seems there are some issues for general use.
That one was the MC1-1B steerable. It's been replaced by the -1C, with a slower drop rate.
While a great chute, you don't want to put a battalion of the Alcoholics Anonymous out over Sicily DZ with any forward motion and unpredictable turns.
"I'm confused. An improved, steerable chute was coming out when I went to jump school, thirty years ago. I did one jump with that and four with the T-10."
My memory is that I was trained on the T-10 in 1972 then when I started jumping again in 1983 it was the MC-1, but I was injured in 1986 using the German's T-10.
Thanks for clearing that up!
Kind of amazing it took this long to deploy a replacement general issue chute, though.
I was forced to jump five times from a perfectly good airplane. I hated it, I still hate the thought of it and I never want to do it again.
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