Visual and Physical Footprint Reduction of Parachutes on the Ground

During air drop operations, payloads are dropped from high altitudes; reaching the ground attached to one or more parachutes. Parachutes become visual markers for enemy combatants to find the attached payload before friendly forces can reach it. Additionally, while airdropping Unmanned Vehicles (UV) the parachute has the potential to land on top of the vehicle, entangling the UV, covering important sensors impairing the UVs effectiveness, or altogether aborting the vehicles mission.Available research has indicated retracting the parachute can limit the parachutes visibility and footprint by reducing snaring, snagging, entangling of the canopy and steering lines, or parachute landing on top of the UV or payload. The addition of concealment/ camouflage further reduces the possibility of alerting enemy combatants. Methods of concealment vary based on the type of material and size of the payload.Commercializing the combined technology of a camouflaged, retracting device has a wide range of potential markets and customers including other DoD customers, telecommunications industry, environmental agencies, humanitarian groups, and oil, gas, and mining industries.