Military Free Fall Navigation System
High Altitude-Low Opening/High Altitude-High Opening (HALO/HAHO) Navigation Aid
The techniques for mission planning of Military Free Fall (MFF) operations are extremely complicated, and the parachutist is burdened with a vast amount of details that are accumulated from several inputs. The High Altitude-Low Opening/High Altitude-High Opening (HALO/HAHO) Navigation Aid will allow the Special Operations Forces (SOF) infiltration capabilities in all environmental situations. Currently teams have little ability to navigate to a target unless it is seen at exit. This system will make it possible to land precisely during adverse weather conditions i.e. clouds, rain, and snow, which greatly reduces the possibility of detection.
In partnership with SOCOM, Natick Soldier Center (NSC) is advancing/investigating technologies to provide the Navaid capability. Currently evaluating foreign systems and plan to test and evaluate over 4 years, with fielding in 4Q07.
The system is a HALO/HAHO helmet system that includes a heads up display Navigation Aid and integrated oxygen system. The system also includes a laptop-based mission planning system, map overlay, alternative target designation features, and predicted release cones based on user wind estimates that are manually input in advance. This program will give the SOF community the capability and the confidence to accomplish the infiltration portion of their mission safely, accurately, and undetected in a wider range of environmental conditions.
From altitudes as high as 35,000 feet, the Military Free Fall navigation system must function at minus 35 degrees fahrenheit and for as long as a 20-mile offset in calm winds with MC-4 or MC-5 parachute systems. Offsets of 3-1, which is a ratio of 3 feet of forward motion for every 1 foot of descent, will increase to 5-1 or 6-1 with a future canopy, and help to provide extra protection to aircraft. Future real-time wind information will be delivered to the mission planning computer by the Joint Precision Aerial Delivery System for cargo delivery, a current Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program also being managed by Natick Soldier Center. This will further enhance mission accuracy since inaccurate winds are the most significant contributor to missed targets.
Heavy fog, cloud cover, and even rain or blowing snow are all the better for Special Operation Forces parachuting from high in the sky toward their intended infiltration point aided by a navigation system. Three prototype Military Free Fall navigation systems were evaluated by the Natick Soldier Center's Airdrop Technology Team at the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center, to safely, accurately and covertly insert forces into unfriendly places.
Like pilots relying on their instruments to guide their aircraft when visual cues are unavailable, Special Operations warfighters can rely on the navigation system on MFF missions. Jumping from altitudes of 25,000 feet or higher, they can steer their Ram Air parachutes to pre-selected impact points even after exiting the aircraft from miles away in miserable weather. This infiltration technique is called High Altitude High Opening (HAHO). The best conditions are the worst conditions. Ideally, you don't want to see the ground until just prior to landing, because the enemy can see you.
While precision airdrop programs at the Airdrop/Aerial Delivery Directorate at Natick are working on ways to accurately deliver cargo to a planned drop zone, the MFF navigation system guides warfighters flying under canopy. In both cases, the intent is to minimize exposure of Air Force aircraft and their crews to enemy threats. Once they are on final approach within a kilometer, they should be able to identify their target. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is accurate to within about 10 meters, but unfortunately the altitude is not yet accurate enough considering the timing necessary of the canopy flair maneuver, which slows the forward speed and vertical descent rate for a soft and safe landing."
Operations are not commonly considered because commanders don't have enough confidence to risk failure of the larger mission and possible loss of life. Bad winds, missed release points, inaccurate release altitudes and human directional errors frequently result in missed targets. Adequate training is another concern because of airspace restrictions, aircraft limitations and logistics involved in operating in such a hazardous environment. These infiltrations, when successfully performed, are ideal for small units requiring the highest level of security.
When coupled with precision bundle capabilities and future improved personnel parachute systems, large amounts of equipment and vehicles will be able to be inserted with the unit, greatly increasing its mission capabilities. When the opportunity arises to train for this type of infiltration technique, the jumpers need the best tools available to ensure success and demonstrate the viability of the mission.
The user-community has long sought this type of capability but has had no choice but to purchase their own handheld GPS units and attempt to mount them in places where they could be useful. GPS-based airborne guidance units mounted on the chest or wrist were primitive attempts to navigate from under canopy, said Shedd, but the problem is that they are too difficult to view while wearing all the necessary equipment for high-altitude jumps, such as oxygen masks.
Started in 2003 and funded by Special Operations Command's Special Operations Special Technology, the project has gained significant momentum, in addition to the participation of all of the Special Operations services. Systems in development as mof 2005 consisted of a Gentex high-altitude parachutist helmet with a heads-up display, a processor unit and GPS. A laptop-based or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) mission planner along with a map overlay, alternative target designation features and predicted release cones based on wind estimates entered into the computer before the jump are all options being evaluated.
The Marine Corps, engineers from the Navy's Coastal Systems Station in Panama City, Fla., and the NSC produced a prototype scheduled for fielding in 2006. It will give Marine Corps Special Operators the first MFF navigation aid to work with until an upgraded system is available.
The Marine Corps system integrates a GPS wired to a tiny TV-like display mounted to one side of the goggle. Shedd said the system is assembled with commercial components, and the technology is relatively mature, but there is limited follow-on capability, the display is obtrusive and the helmet is of little use on the ground. Another prototype, developed by European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company for German Special Forces, uses a handheld GPS with airborne guidance wired to the helmet display. A display driver and antenna integrated into the helmet are fine, but the liquid crystal display begins to fail at high altitudes due to the low temperatures, and the cables restrict movement and are sensitive to damage.
The mission planning software knows how to fly the mission and determine the approach, making 3-D adjustments from the sky. Also, its GPS can be used on the ground. The eventual goal is to carry a PDA containing mission-planning software and an encrypted GPS in the rucksack that wirelessly communicates to a heads-up display. The display is expected to be unaffected by low temperature, legible in bright light and attached to a ballistic helmet instead of a parachutist helmet.
It is hoped that the navigation aid will become the base for an electronics package that will be considered multi-mission capable, which streamlines many computer-based capabilities now expected of Special Operations, such as calling in close air support, and enabling many communications functions. The system must be reliable and easy to use, and programming should not overly burden planning of the long-term mission. HAHO jumps are just a way of getting Special Operations Forces to the job.
