_PDS_airdrop_demonstration_at_Miho_Air_Base_May_27%2c_2018_03.jpg)
Anairdrop is a type ofairlift in which items includingweapons, equipment,humanitarian aid orleaflets are delivered bymilitary orcivilianaircraft without theirlanding. Developed duringWorld War II to resupply otherwise inaccessibletroops, themselves oftenairborne forces, airdrops can also refer to the airborne assault itself.
Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from aircraft.[1] Later, small crates fitted withparachutes were pushed out of aircraft side cargo doors. Later,cargo aircraft were designed with rear access ramps, lowerable in flight, that allowed large platforms to be rolled out the back.
As aircraft grew larger, theU.S. Air Force andArmy developedlow-level extraction, allowing vehicles likelight tanks,armored personnel carriers and other large supplies to be delivered.Propaganda leaflets are another commonly airdropped item.
Airdrops evolved to include massive bombs as payload. The 15,000-pound (6,800 kg)BLU-82, nicknamed the "Daisy Cutter" for its ability to turn a dense forest into a helicopter landing zone in a single blast, was used in theVietnam War and more recently inAfghanistan. The 22,600-pound (10,250 kg)GBU-43/B, nicknamed the "Mother Of All Bombs", was deployed to thePersian Gulf for theIraq War. Cargo aircraft like theC-130 orC-17 serve asbombers to deliver thesepalletized airdropped weapons.
In 2021, theAir Force Research Laboratory successfully demonstrated theRapid Dragon palletized cruise missile deployment system that is characterized as “a bomb bay in a box” that could allow cargo transport aircraft to act as standoff cruise missile carriers, safely staying out of a threat zone and launching a mass of standoff weapons such as the 500 kg warheadJASSM-ER (925 km (575 mi)), JASSM-XR (1,900 km (1,200 mi)) orJDAM-ER (80 km (50 mi)).[2] The self-contained and disposable launch system can be loaded and deployed like a conventional palletized airdrop before the parachuted module deploys its missiles with preprogramed coordinates or targeting data transmitted from allied units. The module requires no additional training and the aircraft can resume its mission as a transportation vehicle after the system is launched out the cargo bay.
Inpeacekeeping andhumanitarian operations, food and medical supplies are often airdropped fromUnited Nations and other aircraft.
The type of airdrop refers to the way that the airdrop load descends to the ground. There are several types of airdrop, and each may be carried out using different methods.[3]
The method of airdrop refers to the way the load leaves the aircraft. There are three main airdrop methods currently used in military operations.
Historically,bomber aircraft were often used to drop supplies, using special supply canisters compatible with the aircraft's bomb attachment system. DuringWorld War II, German bomber aircraft dropped containers calledVersorgungsbomben (provisions bombs) to supply friendly troops on the ground. The British equivalent was theCLE Canister that could carry up to 600 pounds (270 kg) of supplies or weapons. Notably, British and American bombers air-dropped weapons to thePolish Home Army during theWarsaw Uprising in 1944. During theDutch famine of 1944-1945, British and American bombersdropped food on theNetherlands to feed civilians in danger of starvation; an agreement was made with Germany not to fire on the airdrop aircraft[citation needed].
