Para-Foil Steerable Parachute, Exploratory Development for Airdrop System Application

摘要

An exploratory development program was conducted to demonstrate an advanced aerial delivery concept of using a Para-Foil high glide steerable parachute, mated with ground and airborne electronics homing subsystems for controlled airdrop of 500- and 2000-pound payloads. The Para-Foil is a wing made entirely of fabric and having no rigid members. It has an upper surface and a lower surface and an airfoil cross section. The leading edge is open to permit inflation due to ran air pressure. A series of wind tunnel tests with both rigid and flexible Para-Foil models was conducted to establish the effects on performance of various design parameters, to establish a performance baseline for the full scale Para-Foils, and to evaluate various reefing techniques. The Para-Foil aerodynamic turn control characteristics were evaluated through truck tow tests and a series of free flight tests. Free flight tests were also conducted to verify system performance and to evaluate automatic homing capability. (Author)