LONDON — Germany has developed a military parachute system that
allows flight for 200 kilometers before landfall.
The modular carbon-fiber wing enables the wearer to jump from an
airplane at an altitude of 30,000 feet and fly for 200 kilometers. The
system has been developed and tested by the German firm Elektroniksystem und
Logistik and Draeger.
The London-based Jane's Defence Weekly reported that the system was
developed to ensure that paratroopers could avoid a combat zone. The trials
were scheduled to end by 2007 with production ready for next year.
The system has been in use with the German Army since 2003. The original
wing enables the wearer to glide for 48 kilometers.
Jane's said the new wing would allow paratroopers to travel up to 40
kilometers with a load of 100 kilograms. The magazine said the system could
evade ground-based radar.
In the next stage of development, Elektroniksystem plans to employ small
turbo-jet drives similar to those on unmanned aerial vehicles. This would
allow paratroopers to be carried longer distances without jumping from such
extreme heights.