Pinpoint Deliver: sharper aerial insertion methods hit the spot
Santa Ana, CA - 1 September, 2008
CATEGORY: Product
In March 2007 the army selected the FireFly system from Airborne Systems o f Pennsauken, New Jersey, for its 2,000 lb-capacity JPADS system. Gary Calvaneso, executive vice-president of marketing for Airborne Systems, says: "JPADS as a whole is changing the battlefield. It's a revolution in cargo delivery."
According to Calvaneso, such 'smart' cargo delivery systems offer a number of operational advantages: they allow for smaller, more numerous drop zones; they increase aircrew survivability; and they minimise the visibility o f troops on the ground. He also noted that precision airdrop systems can be used by jumpers as directional guidance for high-altitude high-opening (HAHO) and night jumps.
"[Precision airdrop] does have the capability of leading troops in; the ability to fly the supplies in ahead of the jump," he says. "that gives Significant stealth advantage in HAHO jumps. It decreases the forward logistics footprint and reduces the aircrew threat; and this can be done in the cover o f darkness."
Another capability that precision airdrop offers is roadway landing: the ability to land cargo bundles on a very narrow strip. In mountainous terrain, where flat, open drop zones can be difficult to locate, that can be a significant advantage.
Airborne Systems has developed GPS guided cargo delivery products for a range o f cargo weights, including: MicroFly (100-800 lb); FireFly (1,000-2,200 lb; DragonFly (8,000- 10,000 lb); and MegaFly (20,000- 30,000 lb). In late 2007 the company announced that the US Army had selected DragonFly as its 10,000 lb JPADS platform.
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