Military Parachuting: History and Later Developments
From the first demonstration by a girl in 1914 to the final jump in
the Pacific in the World War II, military parachuting proved to be of
great value in military operations.
The year 1914 marked the first
occasion that the military considered the use of airborne attack during
battles and attacks. The use of parachuting was demonstrated by Charles
Broadwick through his adopted 20 year old daughter Tiny. She gave perfect
steering and landing but she was never seen after the jump. The design
then was a basic backpack container which resembled a sleeveless
coat.
While the military officers who witnessed the demonstration
were enthusiastic about the project, the Army never approved of it,
dismissing the benefits that could have otherwise turned the war in their
favor. Later in the World War I, the pilots were made to fly without
parachutes due to the belief of the generals that these men would abandon
their planes in the slightest sign of provocation.
However, the
Germans were already using parachutes for their military operations. While
the design is rather basic, composed only of a canopy, several suspension
lines and a container for the parachute, the parachutes gave the Germans
good advantage over their enemies. The mechanism was a bit crude but it
was a cause of envy among pilots.
After which, the Army was forced
to adopt the use of parachutes in their operations which caused different
results. In Normandy for example, of using parachutes yield great results
in spite of the fact that the troops were highly disorganized thus the
paratroopers went in different directions.
Several developments
were made on the military parachutes. Nowadays, there are several designs
that are being used for military operations. These are highly
sophisticated designs that were made exclusively for military use. Also,
there are some military divisions that are dedicated to the use of
parachuting to deliver men and supplies to ground.
Special
Operations Force, for example, performs high altitude jumping to
accomplish missions. They include forces like Navy SEALS and Army Green
Berets. On the other hand, Pararescue PJs make use of the HALO/HAHO as an
important component of their paramedic operations.
HALO and HAHO
jumps, High Altitude Low Opening and High Altitude High Opening jumps
respectively are very unlike static-line jump which is the basic type of
military parachuting and is done at a maximum altitude of 1000 feet.
Static-line deploys paratroopers at the quickest way possible.
In
the HALO or military skydiving, the jumpers freefall in groups. In sport
sky divers this means no-contact RW. On the other hand, HAHO is similar to
cross country skydiving where the jumper glides from an altitude of 25,
000 feet.
HAPPS or High Altitude Precision Parachute System (also
popularly known as stealth parachutes because these cannot be seen easily
on the ground) is the skydiving rig used in military operations. This rig
is quite similar to the ones used by sports skydivers; the only main
difference is that there are attachments in the HAPPS that allow for other
items to be carried.
Also, there is a harness for the O2 gear. For
both canopies, the usual size is 360 sq feet. Oftentimes, the soldiers
have to carry 150 lbs of equipment when deployed in remote areas which
require special features that will support this weight.
Military
parachuting, with all its sophistications and advancements, is made for
tactical operations alone and not for recreation.
Get expert advice about parachuting at http://www.articlefog.com/category-parachuting.htm.
Here you can find all information about parachutes,
powered parachutes,
parachuting,
parachure courses and many more.
Article Source: www.ArticleFog.com.
Related articles
|
|