The Idea is vastly more of the BEWARE OF THIS variety than the "try this" variety.

Sky divers are well known to be pretty accurate at reaching a target. I suspect that if they didn't pull the rip cord and give the wind a chance to push them off-target, they would be more- accurate still. Which means, if someone wears a bomb instead of a parachute, except that it looks like a parachute-pack, and joins a sky-diving group, that person might be able to deliberately miss a specified/normal sky-diving target and hit some other and more- vulnerable target. And the arrival could be very difficult to stop, too.

What to do? Ensuring parachute packs actually contain parachutes is a place to start. Other suggestions for preventing tragedy are welcome!
-- Vernon, Jun 13 2016

High-altitude military parachuting https://en.wikipedi...ilitary_parachuting
Proven insertion technique [8th of 7, Jun 13 2016]

Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg https://en.wikipedi...Fi_103R_Reichenberg
Limited life expectancy. [8th of 7, Jun 13 2016]

I'm not sure how this would work.

If you had a terrorist who was in cahoots with the pilot, or who held the pilot at gunpoint, then this could work. But then, why not just drop an unmanned bomb?

If you're talking about a skydiver sneaking a bomb onto the plane (ie, without the knowledge of the pilot or the spotter), there's a problem - most skydives take place over fairly rural, open areas without large crowds as nearby targets. Yes, a skydiver can track a fair distance, but not _that_ far.

The only other option would be if a member of a display team, hired to skydive into a big event, tried to do this. But display teams are generally tight-knit groups, and it would be tricky to infiltrate them. They also tend to pack their 'chutes in the same packing hall (or piece of grass), which would further complicate this.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 13 2016


I wonder if you could make a functioning parachute out of nitrocellulose fabric.
-- mitxela, Jun 13 2016


The problem is once you've gotten past or avoided all the checks any commercial skydiving outfit will perform you're already a master spy who can just stroll into the Whitehouse, or it's your plane and you hired the pilot.
-- Voice, Jun 13 2016


"terminally guided missile" described in a book called Grunts. IIRC.
-- Loris, Jun 13 2016


// why not just drop an unmanned bomb? //

step one buy cheap 3d printer - step two download specs for printable fixed wing drone - step three fill empty body cavity with helium & glue solar panels to top surface - step four attach small IED, point in direction of target of choice & release?

a cheap phone with GPS might be something to deconstruct & add to the bundle

kinda surprised this hasn't happened yet.. only a matter of time.. which is worrying :(
-- Skewed, Jun 13 2016


A combination of HALO (or rather HANO) <link> and a wingsuit would allow precision terminal guidance from both a high altitude and a large horizontal distance - even with a modest glideslope, deployment from FL300 and 20NM is realistic (on paper).

Since mass isn't a particular issue (the pilot can attach to the pack just before disembarking) a 100kg payload isn't unreasonable.

Similar techniques were proven in 1944/5 by the IJN. This has the advantage over a classic kamikaze that it's an extremely small target with a minimal radar and thermal signature.

Only a matter of time.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 13 2016


"It's raining men... hallelujah..."
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 13 2016


Are we coming up with tactics for the other side now?

My favorite kamikaze story features the rocket propelled manned aerial torpedoes of WWII known as the "Cherry Blossom". A squadron of them was deployed to attack an American carrier task force slung underneath "Betty" (I think they were called) bombers. We shot down every plane before they got to drop their payloads.

So it had a happy ending. At least for us.
-- doctorremulac3, Jun 13 2016


// Are we coming up with tactics for the other side now? //

Yes, of course. In order to defend against a threat, it is necessary to fully explore all aspects of that threat. Hence the reason for continuing research into CBW agents.

You are correct about the Bettys. Okhas were not a particularly successful method of attack, due to the inherently short range. It would have been much more effective to develop the Reichenberg concept <link> - cheaper to manufacture, longer range, and relatively high speed. In fact it could have been evolved into a very effective sea-skimmer - the close-in AAA on US ships probably couldn't depress enough to engage such a target inside their effective range.
-- 8th of 7, Jun 13 2016


Re: Link.

Looks like they couldn't keep these things in the air long enough to get to a target anyway with wings falling off and such. Crash prone to say the least. Were these being made in France? Saboteurs on the assembly line maybe?

Interesting link.
-- doctorremulac3, Jun 13 2016


If it fell to me to be the skydiving suicide bomber I think I would make a replica of myself out of poop and push that out of the plane, then hide in the cooler until the plane lands and everyone goes home. A poop skydiver would not pull the cord on his parachute and would plunge into something, causing terror. It would also be terrifying when the paramedics came and found that the skydiver was made of poop. Although that would explain why he did not deploy his parachute and so maybe they would think it was more of an accident than terrorism which is less scary. Maybe there could be a note pinned to the poop skydiver swearing allegiance to ISIS; that would make it scary again.

I would have thought allegiance would be spelled like liege as in "liege lord" but no. Time for some OED.
-- bungston, Jun 14 2016


// Other suggestions for preventing tragedy are welcome! //

deploy bouncy netting constructed of some kind of clear polymer (so it won't be seen & avoided by approaching kamikaze skydivers) over vulnerable targets to ping them back at the deploying aircraft

targeting might be achieved by the ground crew tugging on one side or other of the net to alter the angle any incoming object is bounced

problem solved.. & you save money on AA munitions by using their own against them
-- Skewed, Jun 14 2016


I don't know bungs, that could raise quite the shitstorm.
-- RayfordSteele, Jun 14 2016



random, halfbakery