Affordable Guided Airdrop Systems (AGAS)
As the Army continues to operate in "hot spots" and hard to reach places, the need for safely getting equipment and supplies to remote and vulnerable locations becomes a challenge. The use of precision airdrop which allows supplies to be delivered safely by air, is one way the Army is meeting this challenge. As opposed to "dumb drops" which rely on Kentucky windage and a lot of luck to deliver supplies, precision air drop, as the term implies, allows for greater accuracy in delivering supplies to pinpoint location. Capewell Components Company of South Windsor, Connecticut and Vertigo Inc. of Lake Elsinore, California, have developed the Affordable Guided Airdrop Systems (AGAS).
AGAS is designed for release from an aircraft at high altitudes. This capability enables both pilot, crew and aircraft to avoid small arms fire or shoulder fired missiles. The components of the system include electromechanical actuators which adjust the length of the parachute risers in order to steer the canopy. A GPS is used to send signals to the actuators to compensate for fluctuations in the wind. Both actuator and GPS work in synchronization to guide the entire load to its pre-determined point on the ground. A compass, CPU and drivers comprise the electronic components of the system.
AGAS also uses the standard Army G-12 cargo parachute to guide the load to its geographic location. The Army A-22 container, capable of holding 2200 lbs of supplies and equipment, is used to carry the load to its destination. A windpack dropsonde resembling a small torpedo attached to a parachute, measures wind data and the distance from the drop altitude to ground surface. This information is transmitted to the flight planning module which calculates a path of trajectory. The module passes the trajectory path information to the GPS to help guide the load to its intended landing spot. A built-in-test (BIT) verifies the health of flight controls prior to drop.
The Army's requires precision-guided loads to land within 100 meters of the target. At the Army biennial Precision Airdrop Technology Conference and Demonstration (PATCADS) sponsored by the Airdrop Technology Team, Natick Soldier Center, Natick, MA, in Yuma AZ, in November of 2003, Capewell and Vertigo demonstrated the AGAS system. Out of a total of six airdrops, AGAS was able to guide each load within 65 meters of the target. Three of the loads landed within 25 meters of the objective. Each of the drops were made from an altitude of 10,000 ft. Since PATCADS, Capewell and Vertigo have refined the design of the system. The system now weighs 150 lbs, down from the original weight of 240lbs. Access to electronic components and batteries is easier so the electronic components can be removed quickly and used for multiple airdrop missions.
The ability to quickly remove vital components of the system and prevent them from getting into the hands of the enemy enables operational security to be maintained. AGAS is also compatible with the Precision Air Drop System (PADS) which has been adopted by the US Air Force for guided and unguided air drop systems. AGAS is designed to be affordable, accurate, rugged and enhance aircraft survivability. With increasing demand for delivering supplies with safety and accuracy, the military is placing more emphasis on precision airdrop. Companies such as Capewell Component Company and Vertigo Inc, may make the term, "dumb drops", a thing of the past.
