Tech Talk 

Marines Recruit Skydiving Machines for Combat Duty 

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 edited by Robert H. Williams 

Army soldiers also operate the Sherpa. Capt. Art Pack, a combat developer assigned to the Army’s Combined Arms Support Command in Fort Lee, Va., said with the Sherpa, pilots do not need to see the drop zone. As a matter of fact, drops could be made as far as nine miles away.

He suggested that multiple Sherpas, each with a different destination, could be dropped from a single pass.

A complete set that encompasses a body, canopy, riggings, remote control, rechargeable batteries and software costs $68,000. That compares to $11,000 for a “dumb” cargo parachute.

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