The Non-Maneuverable Canopy (T-11) Personnel

Parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...

System is the newest personnel parachute system to be adopted by the

United States armed forces The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

and the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

. The T-11 replaces the T-10, introduced in 1955. The T-11 includes a completely redesigned main and reserve parachute and an integrated harness assembly that is suitable for a wider range of soldier weights than the previous system.

Design

The main

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...

is a modified version of a cross/cruciform platform. The canopy has an increased inflated

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...

of 14 percent and a 28 percent increase in surface area, when compared with the T-10D assembly. The T-11 main canopy utilizes a unique deployment sequence to reduce the opening shock and canopy

oscillation Oscillation is the repetitive or periodic variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states. Familiar examples of oscillation include a swinging pendulum ...

. The T-11 is designed to have an average rate of descent of for the 95th percentile service member, compared with with the T-10C. This reduction is intended to result in significantly lower landing injury rates for jumpers. The reserve canopy is a derivative of the British Low Level Parachute (LLP) aero-conical design that includes apex scoop pockets at the top of the reserve canopy and skirt assist lines at the system’s hem to promote fast opening of the reserve system during low-speed malfunctions. Unlike the current reserve parachute system, the T-11R reserve uses an omni-directional, center-pull deployment system. The T-11 harness is designed to displace opening shock forces of the reserve parachute equally along the long axis of the jumper’s body. The main canopy and harness weighs , and the reserve assembly , for a total of . The main canopy is inflated diameters at the hem. The reserve canopy has a nominal diameter.

Use

The T-11 parachute is in use by the United States armed forces. It is also being adopted by the

Finnish Defence Forces The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) (; ) are the military of Finland. The Finnish Defence Forces consist of the Finnish Army, the Finnish Navy, and the Finnish Air Force. In wartime, the Finnish Border Guard becomes part of the Finnish Defence For ...

, first in Europe. It is in use with the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

. The system is authorized and certified for use on the Globemaster,

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

and Chinook aircraft.

History

During testing led by the US Army's Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, the 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

conducted the first mass tactical jump using the T-11 parachute. On July 12, 2011, the U.S. Army temporarily suspended use of all T-11 parachutes following a malfunction-related fatality at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. Incident investigators found potential issues with the packing, inspection, quality control and function of T-11 parachutes.

Secretary of the Army The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...

John McHugh ordered that usage of the T-11 be suspended until a further investigation was completed and any necessary changes made. This ban was lifted on August 4, 2011. On May 30, 2014 another fatality occurred involving the T-11 parachute during a nighttime jump at the Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Holland Drop Zone. The investigation found that the main contributing factor in the accident was the jumpmaster's failure to check the paratrooper's equipment prior to the jump, and the Army implemented policy changes as a result. On July 14, 2016, Sgt. Arturo Godinez Valenzuela, 31, a paratrooper from the

Mexican Army The Mexican Army () is the combined Army, land and Air Force, air branch and is the largest part of the Mexican Armed Forces; it is also known as the National Defense Army. The Army is under the authority of the Secretariat of National Defense o ...

, died using the T-11 parachute in an 82nd Airborne Division training exercise at Fort Bragg. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries during a high-elevation fall.

References

*Article from Russian journa
"Foreign military reviews" ("Зарубежное военное обозрение") №10, 2007г.
{{DEFAULTSORT:T-11 Parachute Military parachutes Military equipment of the United States