Meant for medium to high altitude parachute or paraglider drops of resupply equipment, this is a GPS and/or Inertial navigation suite that provides guidance by altering the venting on bell-shaped parachutes or modifying the geometry of paraglider drone airfoils via control cables or small in situ electric motors. Meant to work autonomously so the delivery plane can exit quickly, it also can be controlled from the drop aircraft by remote if hands-on control is needed. The head end can be retrieved and reused on another drop.
-- minoradjustments, Feb 20 2024

What’s Possible https://youtu.be/1a...si=TN57XLxlA98LanIR
Extreme parafoil accuracy [minoradjustments, Feb 23 2024]

Accurate, elegant flight https://youtu.be/7V...si=FO0lLu57IydGbbA_
Beautiful to watch [minoradjustments, Feb 23 2024]

Refined and Produced https://youtu.be/Zz...si=JG6MliuQCyMzAKrT
This is the degree of accuracy I was talking about. [minoradjustments, Mar 31 2024]

If you have control you put it down where it's safest for the recipient. Terrain, weather, and encirclement can preclude vehicle use. If they can get the delivery they can also retrieve the unit.

The link misses several critical capabilities that the SD has: 1) Greater precision through finer control of the many airfoils. Not just opening and shutting off vents. 2) Capability to 'pilot' the drop unit remotely, from the drop ship or anywhere. The drop ship does all its calculations and lets their payload go without further control. 3) Fine control of true airfoils, not 'decelerators' which they use. Glide bodies can be used if you have greater control.
-- minoradjustments, Feb 20 2024


Bone it again.
-- minoradjustments, Feb 22 2024


I’m curious where you found the illustration of the Smart Drop to make the comparison with your links.

Your link has many of the features of the Smart Drop but lacks compactness, simplicity, and the ability to control true airfoils, where the final drop speed can be controlled after much faster, far more evasive flight. The fine and gross control in the Smart Drop allows landings like the human parafoil experts do, standing up and virtually stationary. I propose control on the order of drone precision. The Smart Drop should be able to achieve a CPE of 5m after fast evasive flight, a feat the huge and complicated JPADS cannot do. Just look at that thing. What a target.
-- minoradjustments, Feb 23 2024


And the faster it can fly evasively.
-- minoradjustments, Feb 23 2024



random, halfbakery