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SkydiveJack

New Military Static Line Chute?

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I saw a show on TV yesterday called "Around the Services". It is put out by the Department of Defense. One story was about a new parachute design they have for static line Airborne troops. It is designed to replace the venerable T-10 and is aptly called the T-11 or maybe the MT-11.

This thing looks strange!!! They called it a cruciform design. The best way for me to describe it is a box with 4 equal sides and a bottom turned upside down. It even has a big "roundish" slider!

They said it was 28% bigger, weighed a little more than the T-10 and came down 4 fps slower. They showed video of exits and openings. The landings didn't look that soft but that's a round, er... , a.. a.. a whatever for you.

Any of you military folks out there jumping one of these? Anybody got a picture? I don't recall from the story if or when they were going to issue it to the troops. Definitely an interesting design.

:o

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There's video on the link that councilman24 posted. It's definitely an unusual shape!
"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

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The ATPS maximum deployment altitude is 7500 ft (2286 m) Above Sea Level (AMSL), ensuring
the combat force retains all insertion options even at extreme elevations.



Now I know that 7500ft is high for the airborne types... but still :P

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It's cool for sure, but for some reason I seem to think the introduction of a slider is going to bring the malfunction rate up.:| Of course I don't have very much experience with rounds in the static line enviorment.

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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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It's cool for sure, but for some reason I seem to think the introduction of a slider is going to bring the malfunction rate up.:| Of course I don't have very much experience with rounds in the static line enviorment.



Well, as skydivers, we are used to thinking of the purpose of a slider being to slow the opening, but they can do some other things too.

They can help organize the skirt of a canopy and may actually speed up the initial canopy spreading. (This is the idea behind the Sombrero Slider on Butler parachutes).

Sliders can also prevent inversions.

From the test drop work we did with true cruciform parachutes (the standard ones with the arms not sewn together) we definitely found that the inversion rate was lower.

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I've jumped this parachute and like you, I cut my teeth on rounds in the 82nd. I can tell you that this parachute opens up just as fast if not faster than the current round.
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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When active I jumped an ATPS and it open pretty quick.

Drop speed is between 135 and 145 knots from the 130's and stays up toward the 145 range from the 17's.

The canopy is designed to be deployed at 500'agl and still allow several seconds to get your bearings before the PLF.

Having done just that in 1989 (yeah I know ancient fucken history blah blah:P), you don't want much hang time.

An Instructors first concern is student safety.
So, start being safe, first!!!

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I an understand the slider helping to organize things, and even speed up the deployment because of it, I just wonder if there is a possibility of the slider hanging up. I'd be very interested to see/learn more about it. It does look like some pretty cool technology.
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You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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For a detailed explanation of a similar slider, visit Butler Parachute Systems website and click on BAT Sombrero Slider.

As for a slider increasing the malfunction rate on rounds ... HAH!

Simple rounds, (i.e. no anti-inversion net or slider) try to invert 5% of the time.
In only 70 jumps on rounds, I destroyed two military round canopies. The first was a Canadian Army MFP-1. It suffered sleeve slump and a total inversion. The canopy was steerable and landable, but had so many dozen small burns that it was beyond economical repair.
A few years later I suffered a partial inversion on a West German Army (non-netted) T-10. Again the canopy was landable, but had so many small holes that it was beyond economical repair.

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Could someone explain - this is a static line rig, but in the video it looks like there is a pilot chute/drogue doing the deployment? How does this type of static line work?

All the static lines that I have ever seen (and done) the line was directly attached to the d-bag?
Experienced jumper - someone who has made mistakes more often than I have and lived.

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Talked to my brother last night. His SF unit was the first to give these a try. My brother did not get the chance to jump one. He said to many people were getting hurt with them and they sent them back. He said they were getting blown into fences and buildings?

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Talked to my brother last night. His SF unit was the first to give these a try. My brother did not get the chance to jump one. He said to many people were getting hurt with them and they sent them back. He said they were getting blown into fences and buildings?



Possible, depending on winds/spot - my understanding is that they aren't steerable in the normal sense, but by playing 'riser monkey' like on the older rounds.
Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

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Talked to my brother last night. His SF unit was the first to give these a try. My brother did not get the chance to jump one. He said to many people were getting hurt with them and they sent them back. He said they were getting blown into fences and buildings?



I am certain your brother is referring to the MC-6 parachute or an early variation of it that is known as the SF-10. The (ATPS) T-11 parachute has not been fielded yet(see written description for details).


A written description and picture of the T-11 can be seen HERE

Video of some of the testing we have done can be seen HERE
"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

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