Development of A 2,000-10,000-Lb Improved Container Delivery System

Abstract : This paper discusses the details of a program to develop and test a family of Improved Container Delivery Systems (ICDS) capable of airdropping 2,000-10,000-lb payloads, the intricacies of developing a parachute model of the Joint Precision Airdrop System -- Mission Planner (JPADS-MP), and the results from testing. The systems are being developed by the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in conjunction with the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO). They were designed to be low cost and one time use and to use components already in the U.S. Army inventory. Readily available parachutes were used, and a low cost plywood platform was designed, submitted, and approved for use on U.S. Air Force C-17 and C-130E/H/J model aircrafts. These ballistic parachute systems use a high altitude low opening (HALO) design to meet the threshold requirement of 400 m accuracy when airdropped from an altitude of 24,500 ft Mean Sea Level (MSL). The wireless activation device (WAD) is a key component of these systems and is responsible for the staging of the low opening parachutes. This device is wirelessly programmed for a specific time period, calculated based on weather and parachute characteristics using the JPADS-MP. Empirical data such as rate of descent as a function of weight and altitude, stabilization time, altitude loss, forward throw, and inflation times for each system configuration were collected during test drops. A database was generated for each parachute configuration and this data was combined with pre-existing parachute data to build system models into the JPADS-MP.