AMERICA’S ARMY WINNING IN A COMPLEX WORLD

ACAT III
Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS)
PEO Combat Support and Combat Service Support | Detroit Arsenal, MI
WARFIGHTING
FUNCTION
Mission Command
Movement and Maneuver
Intelligence
Fires
Sustainment
Maneuver Support
and Protection
Engagement
ACQUISITION
LIFECYCLE PHASE
Materiel Solution Analysis
Technology Maturation &
Risk Reduction
Engineering & Manufacturing
Development
Production & Deployment
Operations & Support
MILESTONE DECISION
AUTHORITY
Defense Acquisition Executive
Army Acquisition Executive
Program Executive Officer
DESCRIPTION
The Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS) provides rapid, precise, highaltitude
delivery capabilities that do not rely on ground transportation.
The system ensures accurate and timely delivery in support of operational
missions, while providing aircraft with increased survivability.
JPADS integrates a parachute decelerator, an autonomous guidance unit
and a load container or pallet to create a system that can accurately deliver
critical supplies with great precision along a predetermined glide and
flight path. The system consists of two weight classes: 2,000 pounds (2K)
and 10,000 pounds (10K). The guidance system uses military Global
Positioning System (GPS) data for precise navigation and interfaces with
a wirelessly updatable mission planning module onboard the aircraft to
receive real-time weather data and compute multiple aerial release points.
JPADS is designed for aircraft to drop cargo from altitudes of up to
24,500 feet mean sea level. It releases cargo from a minimum off-set of
8 km from the intended point of impact, with an objective capability of
25 km off-set. This off-set allows aircraft to stay out of range of many
anti-aircraft systems. It also enables aircraft to drop systems from a single
aerial release point and deliver them to multiple or single locations,
thus reducing aircraft exposure time. Once on the ground, the precise
placement of the loads greatly reduces the time needed to recover the load
as well as minimize exposure to ground forces.
BENEFIT TO THE WARFIGHTER
JPADS increases aircraft and payload survivability and enables delivery
of multiple loads to single or multiple drop zones in a single aircraft pass
with accuracy better than 150 meters with 80 percent confidence.
SPECIFICATIONS
JPADS 2K includes:
• 1,025-square-foot ram air parafoil with a glide ratio of 3 to 1 coupled
with a military GPS-based Autonomous Guidance Unit (AGU)
• Specially designed suspension sling is used to attach the AGU to the
Container Delivery Systems payload
• Onboard Guidance, Navigation and Control software in the AGU
autonomously steers the parafoil to the designated impact point
JPADS 10K includes:
• 3,500-square-foot ram air parafoil with a glide ratio of at least
3 to 1 coupled with a military GPS-based AGU
• Load is configured on a combat-expendable, 463L or Type V airdrop
platform for gravity airdrop
PROGRAM STATUS
• FY15:
››
JPADS 2K transferred funding to Integrated Logistics Support
Center (ILSC) sustainment contract
››
JPADS 10K fielding and delivery
PROJECTED ACTIVITIES
• FY16:
››
JPADS 2K ILSC sustainment and modernization via depot
››
JPADS 10K total package fielding and delivery continues
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UNITED STATES ARMY