Portable Personal Paraglider Air Mobility System

A key element of military operations is rapid movement of personnel around the battlefield, including movement of individual soldiers for personnel logistics, urban augmented combat, CSAR, maritime interdiction, and SOF infiltration/exfiltration.  In some cases, the battlefield may not permit a ground mobility solution, even a highly capable All Terrain Vehicle. While the U.S. Military operates a large variety of aircraft, none are scaled for individual warfighters. Over the years, a number of solutions have been tested and evaluated for military use, including the Hiller Rotorcycle helicopter, Bensen B-8 gyrocopter, jet packs, and ultralight aircraft such as powered hang gliders. EDC proposes the use of a foot-launched powered paraglider (PPG). The pilot is suspended underneath a paraglider wing and a back-mounted motor provides thrust. This system can be launched in still air and on level ground without assistance. Because the lifting surface is a flexible paraglider wing, it is extremely lightweight and can be packed into a compact volume. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) powered paragliders are designed to reduce cost and improve the recreational pilot’s experience, with maximum range limited by aviation regulations (e.g. FAR Part 103 in the U.S.). Therefore, COTS PPGs are not well tuned to military operations. They do not have especially low auditory or IR signature. However, their extremely low total weight and in-flight efficiency lead to much lower power requirements compared to VTOL options, and reducing the power of the propulsion system is the most fundamentally effective way to reduce auditory and IR signature.  In addition, current powered paraglider systems do require some initial training (typically one full week) as well as frequent flights (at least 1 full day per month) to ensure the pilot remains able to operate the aircraft safely, in particular during takeoff in highly variable wind conditions. Leveraging the inherent characteristics of powered paragliders and new powered paraglider technology developed by EDC, EDC proposes a man-portable military powered paraglider that meets or exceeds target system capabilities. Powered paragliders are naturally easy to assemble in less than 10 minutes using no tools, and COTS single person foot-launched PPGs can fit into a one-man portable container.  When used within their operational envelope, PPGs require no assistance from external equipment or other unique environmental factors for launch/recovery.  Making use of newly developed automatic launch technology developed by EDC in concert with flight autonomy hardware and software, EDC will create a PPG system that is easy to operate and fly.  This will include semi, or possibly even fully, automatic take-off and landing features, autopilot functions, and waypoint tracking while focused on reduced overall auditory and IR signature. Soldiers will be able to employ the system in a safe and effective manner with relatively little training.