the us military has come up with this idea to deploy small forces in complex environments
2024-09-03
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source: cankaoxiaoxi.com
reference news reported on september 2according to an article on the website of the american magazine popular mechanics on august 29, the u.s. army is considering the possibility of using powered paragliders to transport soldiers in war zones. in the future, soldiers will operate in smaller units over wider areas, and paragliders are seen as a useful solution.
the u.s. army has experimented with single-person flying machines several times, but none of them have worked. since world war ii, u.s. army paratroopers have been trained to parachute to capture key targets. however, once they land, they often have to walk to other places due to a lack of trucks and infantry fighting vehicles.
that may soon change — the army is exploring the use of powered paragliders as battlefield transportation.
the army recently solicited proposals for a "personnel aerial mobility system." the request for proposals says the service wants a powered paraglider system that can "fill a capability gap to provide air mobility to force components in support of freedom of action in contested environments."
“expected future battlefield threats will require small forces to disperse and operate in complex contested environments,” the document explains. “traditional air assets, including fixed-wing and rotary-wing transport aircraft, may not be used to mobilize small forces due to support of other missions and the difficulty of operating these aircraft in anti-access/area denial threat areas.”
powered paragliders "will support a variety of mission types, including reconnaissance, surveillance, troop movement, infiltration and extraction." the army's ideal paraglider has a range of up to 186 miles (about 300 kilometers), a load capacity of up to 400 pounds (about 180 kilograms), and a maximum flight altitude of 20,000 feet (about 6,096 meters).
powered paragliders are probably the simplest powered aircraft in existence. what made powered paragliders famous was the hamas attack on israel on october 7, 2023. hamas fighters used such aircraft to fly across the border and attack military and civilian targets in israel. subsequently, videos of hamas powered paragliders in action over israel quickly went viral on social platforms. it is not clear how many powered paragliders were involved in the operation and how efficient they are as a means of transportation, but they are impressive - especially when they fly across the border between israel and the gaza strip, which is considered to be very secure.
in may 2024, powered paragliders were unveiled at the annual special operations forces week capabilities demonstration in tampa, florida. at least seven commando teams flying powered paragliders participated in the demonstration.
paragliders are relatively safe and easy to use, and paraglider pilots can be trained in a very short time. paragliders are also lightweight, and their two-stroke engines save fuel. while they can only carry one person, the 400-pound weight capacity means that a 180-pound soldier can carry up to 170 pounds of gear using a 45-pound paraglider. they can also fly low and undetectable, making them worth considering for infiltration operations.
paragliders also have obvious disadvantages for the military. they are slow, noisy, and fly at low altitudes, making them easy targets for enemy air defenses. aside from personal armor, pilots have no other protection against enemy fire. in addition, paragliders are single-person aircraft, which means that everyone riding a paraglider is also a pilot, and everyone needs their own paraglider, which means that 100 soldiers need 100 paragliders. (compiled by zhu jie)
