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New Personal Mono-Wing

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Tue Jun 06, 2006 04:22 PM
from the gi-joe-fueling-future-defense-research dept.
Science Technology
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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  • Bad ass!! (Score:2, Funny)

    by gasmonso (929871)

    Here come the "I'm Batman" jokes :)

    http://psychicfreaks.com/ [psychicfreaks.com]
    • Dick Grayson, age twelve.

      I'm the goddamn Batman!

      Age twelve.

    • Re:Bad ass!! (Score:3, Funny)

      by fireboy1919 (257783)
      Actually, I was sort of wondering why the military was using a rather unpolished .net runtime [mono-project.com] to run their Wing.

      I mean, wouldn't it be better to write it in C? Or maybe even use Java?

      What's a wing, anyway? Is that a new framework with which I'm unfamilia

  • Special forces to use strap-on... (Score:5, Funny)

    by demonbug (309515) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:26PM (#15483178) Journal
    To get deep inside enemy territory.

    Hyuck hyuck hyuck.

    Seriously, looks like a hell of a lot of fun.

  • Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TWX (665546) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:27PM (#15483188)
    Not to troll here, but how would a military mission be in peace? Isn't the purpose of our military to engage in wartime activities, like defending our territories and offensively going after the enemy? Wouldn't peacetime air traffic be suspended in a true war zone?
    • Other countries and organisations like the UN engage in military actions in foreign countries to help protect the populations from civil war, for example by providing a 'show of strength' to deter trouble.

      • Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Qzukk (229616) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:33PM (#15483236)
        help protect the populations from civil war

        Truly, war is peace.
        [ Parent ]

        • Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 06 2006, @05:22PM (#15483562)
          "To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
          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 ]
          • Funny how these quotes rarely are posted or modded up on slashdot, yet Orwell here has been beaten to a bloody pulp.

            Because they're obvious. How many times have you heard someone on Slashdot say we should disband the military? I'm sure some very deep thi
      • Of course, secret missions kind of go against the idea of a 'show of strength' to promote peace. Maybe they meant piece-time missions, as in what will happen if the soldiers are having so much fun they forget to open their 'chutes?

    • Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:4, Funny)

      by raider_red (156642) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:37PM (#15483262) Journal
      "Secret peacetime missions" seems to be a euphamism for insearting intelligence agents into other countries. I'm not sure why we'd need it for this however, since American Airlines seems to be the best way to send in a spy.

      [ Parent ]

      • Extraordinary rendition (Score:3, Insightful)

        by spun (1352)
        Extraordinary rendition [wikipedia.org] would seem a likely use for these during peacetime. Zip in anywhere, drop out of the sky and nab your guy before he has time to flee, then arrange a pickup after the need for surprise is gone.
    • how would a military mission be in peace?

      Espionage, spying, extracting a turncoat....

      As for other peaceful missions. The US military helped out after the south east asia earthquake, Hurricane Katrina and other times simply because they are capable of
    • You're new around here, aren't you?

      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.
    • Secret Peacetime Missions == arresting dissidents, toppling Latin American leaders the government doesn't like, and just generally acting cool

    • Re:Secret Peacetime Missions? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Ryan Amos (16972) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @05:15PM (#15483506)
      Nah, it's more how we sneak troops into a country we haven't invaded yet. Like Iran.
      [ Parent ]
              • Who is about to get Nukes? Are you talking about Iran who is about ten years away or Israel, pakistan, india, north korea which already has nukes. Of those Israel has been in a continual state of war for more then two decades, pakistan is being run a milit
    • Taking out baddies like Osama bin Laden, before they can do damage.


      Taking out Saddams nuclear fuel processing plants before he has nukes (1982?). That required a lot of co-ordination between Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia to turn their heads as Israeli jets

      • Recon by satellite is not always practical, as the orbits of many satellites are known and avoided by those with a decent high-tech radar or access to a country with such systems. In other cases, objects are too small to identify clearly. Sometimes boots

  • Just one question (Score:2, Interesting)

    by martinultima (832468)
    Might be a stupid one, but what kind of legitimate peacetime missions would require such stealth? Hopefully this is only for cases with definitively-known criminals or something similar to that, and not an NSA/Big Brother type thing like just about everyt

    • Re:Just one question (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Tx (96709) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:31PM (#15483227) Journal
      Might be a stupid one, but what kind of legitimate peacetime missions would require such stealth?

      Who said anything about legitimate?
      [ Parent ]

    • Re:Just one question (Score:4, Insightful)

      by eclectro (227083) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:34PM (#15483241)
      but what kind of legitimate peacetime missions would require such stealth?

      Helping Americans find a cheap tank of gas??
      [ Parent ]
      • We've already got the cheapest gas in the developed world. Besides, I fill up every week for $10, and get through an entire week of commuting on that. (Of course, I ride a motorcycle.)
    • Trust but verify?

      The Brits do HALO jumps in Norway/Sweden. It's a High Altitude/Low Opening jump. Basically they free fall below the terrain high points before opening! I think thy refer to it as character building. The interesting part is how they exi

      • Re:Just one question (Score:5, Funny)

        by jonbrewer (11894) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @05:26PM (#15483591)
        Sort of makes you wonder why they chose Norway/Sweden for 'training' runs :-)

        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 ]

      • Re:Just one question (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Dunbal (464142)
        Just because you aren't technically at war with a country doesn't mean you can't stealthfully assassinate its leader.

              You do that, and expect to have your leader assassinated too. It's happened before.

  • Not too close now (Score:3, Funny)

    by Gat0r30y (957941) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:27PM (#15483194) Homepage Journal
    > "or on secret peacetime missions could avoid detection or suspicion by staying close to commercial airliner flight paths" Somehow that seems like it might go awry... I just can't quite put my finger on it though.

  • I for one... (Score:4, Funny)

    by spikeham (324079) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:29PM (#15483203)
    ... welcome our new delta-winged overlords.

  • From ACME! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Tackhead (54550) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:29PM (#15483208)
    One look at the image in the article [dailymail.co.uk] immediately reminded me of the beta version.

    Acme! [rr.com] The only Batman outfit worn by bats!

  • Book (Score:3, Informative)

    by jaysones (138378) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:32PM (#15483231)
    There's a great new book out on wing jumpers called Birdmen, Batmen, and Skyflyers [amazon.com].

    For full disclosure, I work for the publishing company, but this is a really fun read.

  • Obligatory (Score:2, Insightful)

    by mrjb (547783)
    Power Extreme!!! Seriously now. FTA: "Now military scientists have realised the massive potential for secret military missions." That's a pity and a shame.
  • ...staying close to commercial airliner flight paths. Yeah, that's what these guys [wired.com] thought too.

  • Up in the Air, Junior Birdmen... (Score:3, Funny)

    by ktakki (64573) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:42PM (#15483291) Homepage Journal
    Sounds neat, but the guy in that photo looks incredibly stupid with that wing strapped to his back. He looks like he's going to a costume party dressed as an F-4 Phantom.

    Fuck hazard pay, is there "OMG I look like a dork!" pay?

    k.

  • Where's the fighter version? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Flimzy (657419) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:43PM (#15483297)
    These would take dog fights to a whole new level of excitement!

  • Why this will never be used (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Gregoyle (122532) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:44PM (#15483304)
    I'm intimately familiar with this community, and I can tell you a few reasons why this will never be used.

    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.
    • The article did say they could carry 200 lbs of equipment with them as well.

    • Re:Why this will never be used (Score:5, Insightful)

      by KylePflug (898555) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:55PM (#15483377) Homepage
      Someone didn't read the "up to 200 lbs" portion. In fact, someone didn't read TFA at all. The problem with a HAHO jump is that you are slow-slow-slow coming down, have a pretty good sized rader profile, and are much omre vulnerable to winds -- which can play holy hell with even light aircraft at these altitudes. A rigid-wing glider like this makes alot more sense for high-altitude covert insertions, especially time-critical and covert operations.
      [ Parent ]
        • > Where could you possibly put 200 lbs of actual military equipment on that setup?

          You give your extra equipment its own set of wings with UAV electronics and let it follow you.

          > And parachutes have almost nil radar signature.

          But they leave you hangin
    • 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.

      You might want to read the article instead of just looking at the pretty pictures.
      They claim t
    • A HAHO (High Altitude, High Opening) jump has nearly this glide range anyway, and uses tried and true, proven technology.

      So if Santa Clause flies in his sleigh at a similar height, does that make his descents down chimneys "HOHOHOs"?

    • Looks like he could put a good deal of gear IN the wing itself. I mean why leave it empty? it's a perfectly aerodynamic vessel just asking to be filled with lots of tiny brass-tipped explosives.

      But my main disagreement is this: they will also be used at

  • All They Need To Invent Now... (Score:5, Funny)

    by pandrijeczko (588093) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:45PM (#15483316)
    ...is a 50' high elastic band catapult to send the merry little winged trooper on his way!

  • ThinkGeek link please ? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 06 2006, @04:48PM (#15483339)
    Where is the link to the relevant item on ThinkGeek ?
  • The monowing will become the new extreme hobby. I'd do it in a heartbeat. 220mph? Damn!

  • Wing Suits (Score:2, Informative)

    by Is0m0rph (819726)
    Sky divers and BASE jumpers have been using wing suits a long time. Some guys even fly similar fixed wings like this. I watched the HALO training shows on the military channel a couple days ago and there's no way they'd be training people to be combat re

  • I've seen this before (Score:4, Funny)

    by sl4shd0rk (755837) on Tuesday June 06 2006, @06:25PM (#15483967)
    That's the jump-jet infantry from Tiberian Sun.

  • KAMIKAZI terrorists (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Macka (9388) on Wednesday June 07 2006, @02:23AM (#15485579)

    Now wait for the legislation banning these from sale to the general public for "anti terrorist" reasons.

    Some politician will read this and think .. hmm .. now a terrorist can jump out of a plane 120 miles away from Washington, armed with 200lb of high explosives, and suicide himself on top of the White House with no warning.

    What a world we live in!

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