Versatile nylon

During a mass tactical airdrop, a static line is the piece of heavy-duty nylon fabric that connects the paratrooper to the aircraft and deploys the parachute after he or she jumps out of it. The standard 15-foot length is too short to use with the new Air Force C-17, which led to the development of the Universal Static Line.

“Jumpers were contacting the (deployment) bag from the person ahead of them,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Martin Neises, project officer at Product Manager-Soldier Support, U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (Natick). “Instead of splitting the supplies of parachutes into two different static line lengths, we developed the Universal Static Line that can be configured in 15 or 20-foot lengths.”

Airborne soldiers jump out of an Air Force C-17 in full combat load during a training mission. The Universal Static Line will solve the problem of producing two separate lengths for the Air Force C-17 and C-130.

The 15-foot static line is a World War II-era design that has been successfully used on the Air Force C-130 and C-141. Troops line up and one by one exit the aircraft with a safety monitoring each person. The static line is stowed on the parachute pack tray and unravels until the parachute is opened, allowing the paratrooper enough space to clear the aircraft and give adequate room for the parachute to open.

The rushing air pushes the soldiers almost vertically until the parachute is fully opened. Static lines with deployment bags accumulate next to the airplane to be retrieved later.

Neises said the C-17 is replacing the C-141. The Universal Static Line is 15-feet long for use on the C-130, but a 5-foot extra piece of line can be attached in girth-like fashion to meet the needs of the C-17.

The girth hitch fastens the two pieces without sewing the loop, which eliminates organization maintenance for parachute riggers.

The current static line has a lifespan of six to eight jumps, according to Neises, but the Universal Static Line is anticipated to be more durable and last longer. A tube edge design increases the strength and longetivity of the nylon to reduce the nick and cut potential as the line rubs against the aircraft.

Another advantage is that paratroopers can easily attach or remove the 5-foot extension planeside if the mission requires the use of a different aircraft. Otherwise, the paratroopers would have to remove the entire parachute.

Along with the static line, a new snap hook will be introduced. The snap hook incorporates a double safety gate with single-hand operation. Neises said that removes the need for a safety wire and lanyard that are on the current snap hook. Fielding of the Universal Static Line begins in March 2001, with a total of 85,000 being supplied within a year to all Army airborne units.