What is your opinion of the disposable parachutes ?

We called in several aerial resupply especially in oef, they call it an LCLA, Low Cost Low Altitude. The parachute is some sort of nylon plastic, worked well for its purpose and we burned it there instead of trying to hump out a T-10 in a cargo bag. If you have a choice of delivery vehicle I recommend the ch47 as it was closer to the PI.

I kinda feel like we'd be paying for more chutes instead to re packing use able chutes. Doesn't sound like it would save any money. Plus chutes aren't exactly hard to destroy, I don't think I would want to jump with a chute that is supposed to be destroyed on the field.

First question, are they safe?

There is really no need for this. Isn't any parachute technically disposable if you don't mind the cost of replacing it? The number of operations where airborne insertion is used is very, very slim. The need to destroy parachutes on the DZ even more so. If the real-world mission did ever come where it was necessary to leave/destroy the parachute on the dropzone, what is the issue with just leaving or destroying the parachutes we are currently using?

I have not heard about them and I hope they are for equipment as some of you have said, otherwise that's when I stop jumping. I am no spring chicken and my knees are not made of titanium.

If you're referring to the article in Army Times a few days, that was about LCADS (Low Cost Aerial Delivery System) which has been in the inventory for a few years and is strictly for cargo. It's a great system for resupply isolated locations; we don't have to worry about back hauling air items or write of the much more expensive durable items.

SFC (Join to see) If they work as a good or better than current system, and would be cheaper, that makes sense... It especially makes sense for actual combat jumps... Not so sure about training and its cost effectiveness. I am beating my boots...

As a rigger I say the Idea sucks! Who is going to pack the thing, how long will it sit on a shelf be before it is used? How much waste will it produce with all the traning jumps conducted every year. A parachute and be used many times over before it needs to be replaced. For caro drops in remote places I can see that it has its place.

Most of the parachutes used in Operation Just Cause were brought back to Bragg and put back in service, minus a few I had to Red Tag that spent a week in the water.

I found an article about disposable parachutes: http://kitup.military.com/2015/06/army-touts-disposable-parachutes.html

Seems like they're talking about cargo drops.

It sounds like a good idea to me, but I wonder if the Army will take flak from the tree-hugging crowd because they are polluting the planet with parachutes?

I would seriously be suspect of the integrity of the product supposed to carry me safely to the Earth if it's disposable and more "cost effective"