Parachutes are used not only for people but also for supplies. And it is not something new; even during WWI, there was a plan to drop supplies on the front line with the help of parachutes. However, the war ended, and this plan was never executed. Today, supply drop parachutes are used by the armed forces and aid agencies to drop supplies where people can’t go. Thankfully, there are supply drop parachute manufacturers in India which help the country’s military and civilian humanitarian organisations get such parachutes at a reasonable price.
Let’s now see what things can be airdropped by a parachute. Eight factors determine whether an item can be airdropped with a parachute. They are:
- Capacity and availability of aircraft
- Degree of air supremacy
- Size, weight and shape of the item to be airdropped
- Where is it being airdropped
- Intercommunication
- Ground-to-air clearance
- How accurately can it be dropped
- Visibility and weather conditions during the airdrop
- And lastly
- Who will be collecting the supplies being airdropped
The supplies that are airdropped are kept in free-fall containers. And there are two parts to this whole setup: the parachute and the supply container. The material for the canopies initially was cotton, but today, rayon or poly-cotton fabrics because they are lightweight as well as durable. The colours of the parachute canopy are bright colours like red, green, blue or yellow so that they can be easily spotted.
As for dropping those supplies, much will depend on the weight of the supplies being dropped. The minimum height from which parachute supply drop is done is 200 ft. Generally, heavy loads are dropped in a cluster of twos or more to reduce the air oscillation.
The parachute that is attached to the supply container will depend on the size of the supply container as well. It is not always about the size or weight of the supply container but also the shape of the container.
Increasingly, airdropping supplies are becoming very popular, even for civilian causes. Instead of sending relief trucks which are often ambushed or fired upon, leading aid agencies like the UN or the Red Cross now prefer to airdrop their supplies. In India also, this kind of airdrop is becoming necessary for defence and civilian causes. Today, our indigenous supply drop parachute manufacturer can make parachutes that can even drop a tank!
So, this is some important information about supply drop parachutes.
