USN orders support for ram-air parachutes
Example of a ram-air tactical parachute. (Photo: Airborne Systems)
SSK Industries to provide critical safety items for ram-air parachutes used by SOF.
SSK Industries is providing critical safety items for USN SOF users of ram-air parachute systems, under a $12.65 million IDIQ contract from the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division.
The deal includes life support for ‘non-developmental Electronic Automatic Activating Device end items, associated replacement parts, and related original equipment manufacturer overhauls’, the DoD noted on 1 November.
Work will be performed in Lebanon, Ohio, for completion in October 2026.
Ram-air canopies are particularly useful for SOF in High Altitude High Opening parachute insertion operations.
A typical ram-air parafoil employs twin layers of fabric (connected by ribs) for steerability. The spaces between fill with higher-pressure air from vents that face forward on the leading edge of the airfoil. The fabric is shaped and the parachute lines are trimmed under load, so that the ballooning fabric inflates into an airfoil shape.
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