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New Personal Mono-Wing
Posted by
ScuttleMonkey
on Tue Jun 06, 2006 05:22 PM
from the gi-joe-fueling-future-defense-research dept.
from the gi-joe-fueling-future-defense-research dept.
geekRECON writes to tell us that a new lightweight mono-wing is being tested by special forces as an aid to parachute deployment. From the article: "Fitted with oxygen supply, stabilization and navigation aides, troops wearing the wings will jump from a high-altitude transport aircraft which can stay far away from enemy territory - or on secret peacetime missions could avoid detection or suspicion by staying close to commercial airliner flight paths."
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Special forces to use strap-on... (Score:5, Funny)
Hyuck hyuck hyuck.
Seriously, looks like a hell of a lot of fun.
Re:Special forces to use strap-on... (Score:3, Funny)
Yeah some things pretty much write themselves;-)
Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:4, Insightful)
Truly, war is peace.
Parent
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Interesting)
President George Washington
first annual address to Congress, January 8, 1790
In pace, ut sapiens, aptarit idonea bello.
"In peace, as a wise man, he should make suitable preparation for war."
Horace
Qui desiderat pacem, preparet bellum.
"Who desires peace should prepare for war."
Vegetius De Rei Militari III
Funny how these quotes rarely are posted or modded up on slashdot, yet Orwell here has been beaten to a bloody pulp.
Parent
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Extraordinary rendition (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:3, Interesting)
One of the jobs of the CIA is basically peacetime war activities. As simple like that. Trying to stop a war. Trying to start a war. It really all depends on the time of day.
Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Not too close now (Score:3, Funny)
I for one... (Score:4, Funny)
From ACME! (Score:5, Funny)
Acme! [rr.com] The only Batman outfit worn by bats!
Book (Score:3, Informative)
For full disclosure, I work for the publishing company, but this is a really fun read.
Up in the Air, Junior Birdmen... (Score:3, Funny)
Fuck hazard pay, is there "OMG I look like a dork!" pay?
k.
Where's the fighter version? (Score:3, Interesting)
Why this will never be used (Score:3, Insightful)
This sounds a lot like one of the things that eggheads who never go to the front lines think would be super-cool or a "killer app".
First and formost, this would add surprisingly little in the way of capabilities to the units that already insert from high altitude aircraft. A HAHO (High Altitude, High Opening) jump has nearly this glide range anyway, and uses tried and true, proven technology. The standard "killer app" of HAHO is the ability to fly the plane in or near commercial lanes in the airspace of another country and glide across the border into the place where we aren't supposed to be. You might be able to guess how often this is actually used outside Tom Clancy novels.
Second and probably most damning, the major problem with HALO and HAHO insertions is the fact the you can't bring very much gear with you on the jump; extra gear screws up the aerodynamics something fierce. You can jump some gear, but the more you jump the more trouble you'll have. Now take a look at the guy in the picture in TFA. This guy could jump in with a sidearm and a first aid kit, maybe adding a cell phone if he wanted to get froggy.
Do you know the average weight of the gear carried on insertion by SF teams in the opening days of Afghanistan? Including weapons, ammo, body armor, hundreds of thousands of dollars cash, water, food, and clothing, it often exceeds the operator's body weight until the team has a chance to cache some of their gear. The things that make an SF team useful in a modern warfare environment are heavy and bulky.
Do you wonder at all why most units insert on helicopters almost exclusively now?
These wings will be used often in movies and books, and almost never in real life by real soldiers who have to deal with their limitations.
Re:Why this will never be used (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Why this will never be used (Score:3, Informative)
You might want to read the article instead of just looking at the pretty pictures.
They claim that up to 200lbs of gear can be stowed in the wing itself.
All They Need To Invent Now... (Score:5, Funny)
ThinkGeek link please ? (Score:3, Funny)
I've seen this before (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Just one question (Score:5, Insightful)
Who said anything about legitimate?
Parent
Re:Just one question (Score:4, Insightful)
Helping Americans find a cheap tank of gas??
Parent
Re:Just one question (Score:5, Funny)
Let's see... After a long, cold free fall, would you rather land:
a.) in a country of ubiquitous saunas and beautiful women
b.) in England
Parent