SteadyHoist: A Lightweight, Low-Cost, Platform-Agnostic Rescue Hoist System with Active Swing & Rotation Stabilization

Special Tactics airmen are tasked with critical missions including personnel recovery, which relies on aircraft based hoisting as a key capability. However, typically only SAR-specific aircraft are hoist-equipped, and STS units have no dedicated air assets, instead flying on whatever aircraft is available. This means that situations can arise where the only rotary wing aircraft available to assist an operation are not hoist-equipped, hampering the mission. We propose to test the technical feasibility of a platform-agnostic rescue hoist system that can be installed on any aircraft. This system would comprise a rope-based rescue hoist that leverages existing proprietary TRL-9 technology, a configurable aircraft-mounted rescue tripod, and a newly developed anti-rotation device that would actively resist rotational forces on the litter from rotor wash. Last, by incorporating a control algorithm that adjusts the hoist speed as a function of swing angle, the system can damp out oscillation of the load to further reduce operational risk. By giving Special Tactics units their own hoist capability to bring to any aircraft, the "SteadyHoist" system would aid AFSOC's mission of providing our Nation's specialized airpower, capable across the spectrum of conflict, Any Place, Any Time, Any where.