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New Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmet for Nightstalkers

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023

The Nightstalkers of the famed 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) have adopted a new lightweight flight helmet called the Rotary Wing Advanced Tactical Helmet or RATH (pronounced Wrath).

Recently on display at the AAAA Summit in Nashville, the new helmet will replace HGU-56/P Rotary Wing Aircrew Ballistic Helmet (ABH) Systems which have been in service for decades. In fact, the 160th was one of the first adopters of the HGU-56/P in the 1990s.

The quest for a lightweight flight helmet which would reduce aircrew neck strain began five years ago and has taken the combined efforts of the US Army Aeromedical Research Lab, Air Force Research Lab, SOFWERX, USSOCOM and the 160th. The effort has culminated with this fielding.

Features:

• Meets / exceeds all US Army FNS / PD 96-18 Safety Requirements & Specifications

• 6 unique helmet shell sizes – does not put extra liner padding in larger sizes to create smaller sizes

• 24% average weight reduction across all sizes when compared to legacy HGU-56P helmet

• 9% increase in side-to-side field of view when compared to legacy HGU-56P helmet

• Optional ballistic applique to provide protection from small arms fire & fragments

• Ventilated carbon fiber shell with “penetration proof” Dyneema™ ballistic liner

• Koroyd™ damage control honeycomb liner with up to 18% more compression than EPS foam

• Lightweight adjustable dial suspension and retention liner assembly

• Hot swap ballistic visor can be changed in less than 30 seconds without tools

• Clear & tinted ballistic Class 1 visor

• Side mounting rails for lights & accessories

• Easy snap / release chinstrap buckle

• Quick-release ANVIS NVG shroud

• Headset can be worn independently from helmet

• Hearing pass-thru with dynamic sound suppression and volume control

• UmeCobra™ boom microphone offers an average of 10 dB improvement of legacy M-87 mic

• Gel earseals and adjustable nape pad for custom sizing and compression adjustment

Posted in Army, Aviation, Helmets, SOF | 7 Comments »

SOF Week 23 – Crye Precision G4 Aviation Uniforms

Monday, May 15th, 2023

Although Crye Precision‘s new G4 Aviation Uniforms were unveiled during SHOT Show, they’ve been working on them for awhile. In fact, they’ve already started delivering them to the SOF aviation unit they developed them for. Like with all things Crye, once other units saw them, they had to have them as well meaning these are becoming quite popular.

Since the uniform is intended to be worn for flight duties, it’s made from the same FR Commando Twill used in the FR G4 uniforms.

While outwardly looking like the G4 uniforms they are based on, you’ll find some aviation unique features like dual entry shoulder pockets, center front zipper and loop placement to accommodate ID. The pants also have a double seat, oversized patch pocket on the calf, zipper pulls, vertical zippered entry on thigh pockets, and a multi-tool pocket.

The G4 Aviation Uniform is offered in both Combat and Field cuts in male and female fits, in MultiCam, Black, and Ranger Green.

Posted in Advertiser, Aviation, Clothing, FR, SOF Week | 3 Comments »

DEVCOM Soldier Center’s Tube Foods Fuel High-Altitude Pilots

Thursday, May 11th, 2023

NATICK, Mass. — Proper nourishment is key to achieving great heights. This is especially true for the elite group of pilots who rely on the expertise of the Combat Feeding Division, part of the Soldier Sustainment Directorate, at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, or DEVCOM SC.

The Combat Feeding Division’s food technologists, equipment specialists, engineers, microbiologists and packaging specialists have been perfecting tube foods for almost 60 years. DEVCOM SC is the only place that designs and produces the foods that meet the specific needs of the Air Force’s U-2 reconnaissance aircraft pilots and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s, or NASA’s, ER-2 research aircraft pilots.

Elite pilots wear pressurized suits and helmets to perform their missions. The foods, which have a pudding-like consistency, come out of a container about the size of a large tube of toothpaste.

The tube foods are attached to feeding probes that are inserted into an opening in the helmets.

The tube foods help pilots power through missions that can last up to 12 hours. The foods come in 19 different offerings, including entrees, fruits and desserts. Choices range from chicken with tortilla soup, to hash browns with bacon, to key lime pie, to chocolate pudding with caffeine — to name just a few. Given the difficulty and length of pilot missions, caffeine is included in some of the selections. The offerings keep evolving. CFD plans to add pasta with marinara sauce next year as well as a new vegan option.

DEVCOM SC’s longtime and unique innovation and expertise in food science and technology and food packaging play a substantial role in tube food development.

“The Combat Feeding Division has a long history of developing nutritionally optimized, good-tasting ration products to meet warfighters’ unique needs and preferences,” said Erin Stomberg, PhD, RD, division chief of Combat Feeding. “The tube foods produced by the division food technologists are one important example of this. Air Force pilots on long flight missions need nutrition for sustainment and performance of their mission, and we are honored to provide this service to them. We accomplish this by using our knowledge of food product development and food processing technologies available in our pilot plant and listening to customer feedback in order to formulate custom varieties based on pilot preferences.”

Daniel Nattress, a food technologist who has served as the project officer for the Tube Food Program for 24 years, pointed out that “decades of knowledge and expertise go into every tube.”

“We have the expertise to make healthy, wholesome foods that taste good, meet nutritional requirements and meet required shelf-life requirements (three years at 80 degress Fahrenheit and six months at 100 degrees Fahrenheit),” said Nattress. “We also need to know how to manufacture foods which meet the nutritional requirements and still fit through the narrow straw-like probe.”

Nattress explained that colleagues in the Tube Food Program also have the “knowledge and expertise to operate the specialized equipment, as well as pack the tube food for safe storage and transportation.”

Equipment upgrades have improved the process. A new state-of-the art tube filler and sealer is easier to clean and maintain than the previous version and a new steam retort, which preserves the tube foods, is more efficient and extremely reliable.

Direct interaction with pilots is key to making the best product. Nattress and his colleagues have visited the home base of the U-2 pilots several times, and the pilots have visited Combat Feeding as well.

“Face-to-face contact is essential to understand what products the pilots want and for them to understand our capabilities,” said Nattress. “We conduct surveys with the pilots every three or four years to verify what they currently like, what they’d like to have and any changes they’d like to have. When we were at Beale Air Force Base, the training base, we got to try on the U-2 suits. This gave us an understanding of what they go through on their missions.”

DEVCOM SC’s efforts to understand pilot needs and to provide them with a quality product are reflected in comments from the U-2 pilots themselves:

“Caff apple pie (Caffeinated Apple Pie) is a must after 8 to 10 hours and preparing to recover the hardest jet in the world to land!”

“Nothing better than hash browns and bacon (Hash Browns with Bacon) after you kick on the autopilot during climbout to an early morning sortie.”

“Not only does it give us some energy, but it’s something we look forward to — especially truffle mac (Truffle Macaroni and Cheese). Delish.”

Comprehensive review sessions also provide Combat Feeding with additional insights.

“We also participate in the twice-yearly U-2 Program Management Reviews, a meeting of all government agencies and contractors,” said Nattress. “These meetings give us an overview of the entire U-2 program from Tube Foods to U-2 suits to the airframe. This gives us the overall picture and shows us where we fit in.”

Robert Bernazzani, team leader of the Joint Foodservice and Engineering Team, praised the comradery of the experts who produce the food tubes, their eclectic set of skills, and their creation of a quality finished product.

“It is very gratifying to be part of such an important and vital program for the military,” said Bernazzani. “Most of the work that is done in Combat Feeding is research and development. This program is unique because we actually not only do the R&D but produce the tubes that are consumed by the warfighter.”

“Everyone who works on the Tube Food Program, that includes several others from packaging specialists to microbiologists, are very proud to provide U-2 pilots the sustenance they need to perform these vital reconnaissance missions,” said Nattress. “When we have had the opportunity to visit Beale, or to host pilots, they are very appreciative of the products we are able to manufacture.”

By Jane Benson, DEVCOM Soldier Center Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Aviation, Field Gourmet, Guest Post | 8 Comments »

AF Research Lab Re-Ups Affiliation with Longtime Liquid Crystal Industry Partner AlphaMicron Inc to Meet DoD Needs

Friday, April 28th, 2023

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO (AFRL) – Longtime Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, industry partner AlphaMicron Inc., is utilizing a 2021 Ohio Federal Research Network, or OFRN, funding award to expand the capability of its patented guest host liquid crystal technology, called e-Tint, to electronically dimmable protective eyewear for the Department of the Air Force, or DAF, Department of Defense and commercial markets.

The $1.35 million award, comprised of $900,000 from the state of Ohio and a $450,000 AlphaMicron, or AMI, cost share, enables AMI to apply emergent fundamental research toward the expansion of its e-Tint technology for the development of advanced sun protection devices for pilots and special warriors, as well as specialized laser protection film for civilian and military eyewear, said Principal Electronics Engineer Dr. Darrel G. Hopper in the Airman Systems Directorate of AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing.

In its persistent mission to mature its technology and create advanced applications, AFRL has partnered with AMI — a global leader in liquid crystal-based light reactive technologies — since its founding in December 1996 as a spinoff of Kent State University’s Liquid Crystal Institute, Hopper said.

“Most recently, AMI was a performer under the 2018 Electronically Dimmable Eye Protection Devices Small-Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program sponsored by the Airman Systems Directorate,” Hopper said. “During the 2020-2022 Phase II award, AMI partnered with Bowling Green University, Kent State University and Miami University to develop next-generation electronically dimmable eye protection devices enabling them to work toward the 70% transmission window needed for current and future DAF applications.”

The image depicts AlphaMicron Inc., or AMI’s prototype progression over the course of 20 years. AMI’s first dimming proof of principle prototype from 1997 was eventually integrated into a Full Complex Curvature Helmet F-35 Visor prototype for the U.S. Department of the Air Force in 2017 to help mitigate pilots’ difficulties managing light transmission during flight. The initial collaboration between AFRL and AMI resulted in the creation of e-Tint, an electronic tint-on-demand liquid crystal technology that can be applied to flexible plastic substrates, such as pilot visors, instead of traditional glass. e-Tint switches from clear to dark faster than an eye can blink — about 0.1 of a second— and is fail-safe in a power outage. This technology was used to create the world’s first electronic switchable eyewear which was field tested by the U.S. Army and is now being issued to soldiers through the Approved Protective Eyewear List.? In addition to current applications, the technology is being developed for augmented reality applications and see-through displays, where simultaneously controlling ambient and display light is important, said AMI’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri.(U.S. Air Force photo)

The AFRL-sponsored 2018 STTR award expedited AMI’s process of qualifying and applying for the OFRN funding, as AMI was able to sustain the same academic partnerships it had developed under the previous effort, Hopper said.

AMI’s OFRN effort was one of five selected in the OFRN round five: Sustaining Ohio’s Aeronautical Readiness and Innovation in the Next Generation, or SOARING, Opportunity Announcement. According to its website, OFRN awards funding for projects that help expand Ohio’s research capabilities and grow its workforce in the areas of defense, aerospace, energy and health.

“AFRL’s history with AlphaMicron is long and rich,” said Personal Protection Direction Lead Dr. Matthew Lange in AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. “This OFRN funding is so important because it is what gets this kind of technology done. It’s enabling the continuation of solutions that are relevant to DOD needs.”

The storied relationship between AFRL and AMI led to the development of foundational optical technology with numerous commercial and military applications, said Dr. Richard Vaia, chief scientist, AFRL’s Materials and Manufacturing Directorate.

“This ensures critical suppliers have multiple revenues for pervasive aspects of critical technology for future DAF systems,” Vaia said.

AMI’s collaboration with the DAF dates back to its first Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, award in 1997 under the Variable Transmittance Visor program, Hopper said.

Prototypes produced under this first agreement eventually led to future collaborations with AFRL.

In 1997, AFRL partnered with AMI to address light management issues in fighter pilot helmets; researchers were challenged to develop variable-tint visors that would enable pilots to see clearly in flight, despite fluctuating lighting conditions. When pilots encountered sudden washes of intense sunlight mid-flight, they struggled to read and track the data on their aircraft-mounted and head-mounted displays, Hopper said.

“There was a need for some way of controlling visor tint, as it was affected by the transmission of light when the pilots would go above or below the clouds,” said Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri, who co-founded AMI with two other colleagues in 1996. “This was a safety hindrance. So AFRL asked us to join them to find a solution [based on the then-new guest host liquid crystal technology].”

AFRL and NASA have been working on solving this problem since the 1970s, Hopper said. It has taken the industry 20 years to realize the need for this type of technology for near eye applications. This need has accelerated with the recent emphasis on augmented reality glasses where displayed image contrast can be washed out because of the background ambient lighting conditions.

The initial collaboration between AFRL and AMI resulted in the creation of e-Tint, an electronic tint-on-demand liquid crystal technology that ultimately helped mitigate the pilots’ difficulties managing light transmission during flight. According to AMI’s website, e-Tint switches from clear to dark faster than an eye can blink — about 0.1 of a second— and is fail-safe in a power outage. Notably, the technology can be applied to flexible plastic substrates, or surfaces, instead of traditional glass, to benefit Airmen and Guardians.

“The Air Force was very specific about what it wanted,” Taheri said. “There were all of these boxes we needed to check. And one of them was they wanted to be able to encapsulate the layer of liquid crystal — which is very thin, 6 microns, so about one-tenth of the diameter of a human hair — between plastic. Glass is brittle and flat, not flexible and curved. If you drop it, it breaks. Flexible plastic substrates do not shatter, and they’re lightweight.”

All of these qualities make plastic desirable to glass when it comes to developing agile solutions for pilot eyewear, Taheri said, but the task of translating the liquid crystal technology to flexible plastic substrates was not without its challenges.

“Precisely because it’s flexible, it can be difficult to apply that thin layer of liquid crystal between two pieces of plastic and maintain uniformity,” Taheri said.

Around 2010, AFRL Chief Technologist Dr. Timothy Bunning led efforts within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate to bring AMI on board to partner with members of his research team in what was then called the Functional Materials Division. Bunning’s group was working on expanding in-house liquid crystal research and develop resilience technologies relating to laser and flash eye protection. Bunning, who served at the time as division chief and, later, as the directorate’s chief scientist, assembled a research team that included Lange, Dr. Michael McConney and Dr. Timothy White, among others.

Together, the AFRL and AMI researchers sought to translate AMI’s preexisting e-Tint technology on flexible plastic substrates to variable-tint visors for DAF pilots.

“Our efforts with AMI were very fruitful,” Bunning said. “In AFRL, we are list-makers, we are very structured, we are always proactively pushing the bounds of the research. Our collaboration [with AMI] allowed us to combine efforts to reduce the risk of these new technologies, and it also led to some high-end publications in prominent scientific journals.”

White, who has since transitioned out of AFRL to take up a professorship in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado-Boulder, said the vibrant partnership between his research team and AMI successfully resulted in the pursuit of both near- and far-term laser and flash eyewear protection solutions.

“Alpha Micron was and continues to be an incredible partner for the DOD to work with,” White said.

Taheri said his various collaborations with AFRL have opened doors to do more of what he genuinely enjoys.

The graphic illustrates how reorienting liquid crystal (yellow) causes dichroic dye (red) to reorient along with it, which changes the transmission of light. In 1997, the U.S. Department of the Air Force identified a need for controlling visor tint in pilot eyewear. Visor tint was affected by light transmission when pilots would go above or below the clouds, as sudden washes of intense sunlight mid-flight impacted their ability to read and track the data on their aircraft-mounted and head-mounted displays. To address this safety issue, AFRL partnered with Kent State University-based AlphaMicron Inc., or AMI, a global leader in liquid crystal technology, to find a solution based on AMI’s proprietary polarizer-free, guest-host liquid crystal system known as e-Tint. AMI’s Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Bahman Taheri likens this system to a molecular version of a Venetian blind. (Courtesy photo / AlphaMicron Inc.)

“Working with AFRL gave and continues to give me a glimpse into what the future of eyewear is going to be,” Taheri said. “This helped AMI create the e-Tint technology for head-mounted displays, and ambient and intense light management for the warfighter. It is the reason that AMI’s CTRL Eyewear is now the only electronic military grade eyewear in the Army’s Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL). It took 25 years for the consumer electronics companies working on advanced electronic AR glasses to realize this need.”

Most recently, AMI has set its sights on expanding its technologies beyond near eye applications to the commercial automotive and architectural sectors. The company plans to leverage its preexisting connections to major automotive Tier 1 companies to apply electronically dimmable technology to replace electrochromic mirrors in electric cars, and to integrate sunroofs with switchable glazing technology. These measures will help maintain more consistent temperature control and extend battery life in electric vehicles.

“With the advent of electric cars, what [the auto industry] is really starting to want is this switchable glazing that can be applied to the glazing in the vehicle to stop the car from heating up when it’s parked,” Taheri said. “Heat can be a big drain on an electric car battery when you are trying to cool it down and having a sunroof that ‘switches’ makes a big difference there.”

Taheri said he credits his company’s collaboration with AFRL for giving AMI a head start in this field.

“Because of our interaction with AFRL, AMI is now the main supplier of the much-needed dimming element to many of these top tier companies,” Taheri said. “In that same tone, I genuinely believe that the work currently being performed for the AFRL [with Dr. Lange and his team] is also decades ahead of its time. I have no doubt that it will be the solution to some of the problems not yet realized in the consumer market.”

The company’s commercial expansion can only mean good things for the future of AFRL, Lange said, as the development of any new industry technology can provide fresh avenues for meeting DOD supply chain needs.

“It’s so important to continue to support our industrial base at all levels in order for them to be successful,” Lange said.

Hopper, Lange and Taheri said they look forward to future AFRL collaborations.

“Some of the coolest projects always come from the Air Force,” Taheri said. “My team always wants to gather in on those because they know there’s going to be a tough problem to solve.”

-Gail Forbes, Air Force Research Laboratory

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Eyepro, Guest Post | Comments Off on AF Research Lab Re-Ups Affiliation with Longtime Liquid Crystal Industry Partner AlphaMicron Inc to Meet DoD Needs

VBSS via Jet Suit

Tuesday, April 25th, 2023

The Brits are already all in and now the US is gaga over the Gravity Industries Jet Suit.

The Joint Prototyping and Experimentation Maritime (JPEM) Program in collaboration with Gravity Industries (UK) introduced a single person Jet Suit capability for rapid transit from shore-to-sea and from sea-to shore for joint missions such as Maritime Interdiction and Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS).

Posted in Aviation, Disruptive Tech, International | 14 Comments »

Raptor Pilots Test AF’s Next-Gen Helmet

Saturday, April 15th, 2023

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Developmental flight tests are underway for the Air Force’s new Next Generation Fixed Wing Helmet here.

Engineers with the 46th Test Squadron and the 28th Test and Evaluation Squadron oversee the helmet’s testing. Approximately five F-22A Raptor pilots from the 301st Fighter Squadron, a Reserve unit with the 43rd Fighter Squadron here, fly with the new lighter, cooler and more readily equipped helmet.

The NGFWH program goal is to provide pilots a more comfortable, stable, and balanced platform to accommodate helmet-mounted devices usage without imposing neck strain and discomfort to the user.

“It is common knowledge fighter pilots have long term neck and back issues,” said Maj. Brett Gedman, from the 301st Fighter Squadron. “Therefore, having a lightweight helmet, designed with the operator in mind, will have positive long-term impacts on the health of our fighter pilots during and after service.”

This series of tests marks the second round of developmental tests with the LIFT-manufactured helmet since it was awarded the contract in 2022. The NGFWH is set to replace the more than 40-year-old current model, known as HGU-55, used by all Air Force aircrew except F-35 flyers.

After each flight, the pilots report any feedback they have about wearability, visibility, communication, etc. The engineers compile that data to provide to the manufacturers. So far, outside of minor tweaks, the feedback is positive.

“The design of the helmet allows for unparalleled visibility, mobility, and comfort in the cockpit,” “The increased visibility combined with the mobility it provides made it a massive improvement over what I am used to flying with. It is clear this has been a generational leap in technology that the fighter pilot deserves, which is long overdue.”

Gedman said those factors are critical when operating in a high-G within visual range environment.

“With near peer threats narrowing the gap daily, it is critical the fighter pilots have every tactical advantage possible,” said Gedman. “Details matter, and it is coming down to the smallest details including the gear we wear.”

Along with Air Force aircrew, the new helmet also has a great effect on Aircrew Flight Equipment technicians. They are responsible for preparing, equipping, and maintaining the helmets for the aircrew.

Many flight advancements are now standard on the new helmet such as like night-vision goggle mounts and an adjustable occipital basket. With the legacy helmet, HGU-55, these items are added manually, adjusted, and fitted to the aircrew and take hours to prepare. To add a NVG mount to the legacy helmet, an AFE Airmen uses power tools to drill into the helmet to secure the bracket.

“From a pre-flight and build up standpoint, the new helmet is much better,” said Airman 1st Class Matthew Crouse, a 325th Operations Support Squadron AFE technician responsible NGFWH maintenance during the testing here. “It makes our job much easier in the long run, but because its so easy to adjust, we can make corrections if they are needed.”

When the Raptor squadrons leave Eglin soon for Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, the test engineers will follow for a new round testing with new pilots. Eventually, the tests will spread out to other aircraft and aircrew. The next aircraft type scheduled to test the helmets will be the HC-130J and B-1B Lancer.

By Samuel King Jr.

Posted in Air Force, Aviation, Guest Post, Helmets | Comments Off on Raptor Pilots Test AF’s Next-Gen Helmet

SOFWERX – Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) Replication Collaboration Event

Monday, April 10th, 2023

SOFWERX, in collaboration with USSOCOM, U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC), will host a series of events beginning 8 June 2023 to replicate IADS for USSOCOM training purposes.

Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) is the training focus of the Army. The Combat Training Centers (CTC) offer large scale complex training on real world problems in a controlled environment. Enemy IADS pose a large threat in LSCO by denying friendly air superiority and friendly Freedom of Maneuver (FOM). IADS can be targeted in multiple ways to achieve desired effects. The current problem is the CTC visually modified (VISMOD) IADS, used for training, offer only visual targeting exploits. In order to replicate a realistic challenge in LSCO, a complex IADS VISMOD with digital sigatures needs to be created to increase training value.

The objective of this effort is to create an electromagnetic spectrum (EMS) capability that can be exploited in various ways to increase training value.

Interested parties should RSVP NLT 17 May 2023 11:59 PM ET.

To learn more, visit events.sofwerx.org/iads.

Posted in Aviation, SOF | Comments Off on SOFWERX – Integrated Air Defense Systems (IADS) Replication Collaboration Event

1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) Tests New Prototype Glider

Friday, March 31st, 2023

YUMA PROVING GROUND, Ariz. – In February 2023, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) successfully tested a new unmanned aerial delivery platform, the GD-2000 glider (glider disposable 2000 lbs.). This glider is an alternative to the current means of supply delivery into diverse environments. Implementation of the glider will result in enhanced capabilities of the Special Forces detachments deployed through varied, and often restrictive, terrain.

Timely and accurate resupply is imperative to the success of combat operations.

This success does not only lie with the operators on the ground but also with utilizing emerging technology. The GD-2000 is a glider platform that Special Operation Forces innovators hope will revolutionize aerial delivery to Green Berets in the field.

“It’s an autonomous aircraft that carries 1,500 pounds of payload,” said Chip Yates, CEO of Yates Electrospace, and the creator of the glider.
“It flies for 15 minutes, flares and lands where you want it,” he continued.

Traditional supply delivery systems can be more cumbersome and more detectable by the enemy when compared with the glider. It was birthed out of a request from the U.S. Marine Corps as an alternative to the Joint Precision Air Drop System (JPADS). JPADS tend to be both larger in size and have limited ability to maneuver through the air, making them less accurate, especially over long distances or in high-wind conditions.

“What this glider does is give us a much greater [travel distance] and a much greater glide ratio into a target,” said a Special Forces detachment commander, whose team tested the glider.

The GD-2000 is a small aircraft designed to land at a precise location while being released from a greater distance than traditional supply drops. The glider can travel up to 40 miles once released and is completely disposable once on the ground, allowing it to be left in denied or contested territory without compromising the security of the Soldiers receiving the supplies or the technologies or techniques employed by the U.S. military.

“If we are able to get [the glider] up to 40,000 feet we’re looking at [travel distances] in excess of 25 to 30 miles. That’s a pretty unique capability and not matched by anything we currently have,” the commander said.

This would also allow for aerial delivery to remote islands that require a greater level of precision to reliably reach their destination. With some modifications, the designer of the glider claims it can also land and be recovered in a maritime environment, further enhancing resupply capabilities to the sort of small islands often found in the Indo-Pacific.

During the testing, the GD-2000 carried a 1,000-pound payload and was airdropped from a C-27J plane. During several drops, the glider landed within 30 meters of its intended target at Yuma Proving Grounds, Arizona. The hull of the aircraft was still intact and protected the cargo inside.

“[The glider] gives us the ability to drop this from a plane outside of controlled airspace into international air space and fly resupply in from an unmanned autonomous craft. It’s a huge enhancement to the mission” the commander said.

1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) is committed to innovating beyond the status quo. Today’s tests and experiments are done to ensure that tomorrow’s problems do not catch us off-guard. Enhancing our capabilities fosters an environment of competency within the unit and allows for our Soldiers to continue the mission of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Story by SGT Thoman Johnson, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne)

Posted in Army, Aviation, Guest Post, SOF, Sustainment | 11 Comments »