This is good news for my potential paratrooper's ring customers who currently jump with the T-10 training chute. I have jumped with the T-10 and the MC1B chutes and the force of landing is great. From what I have read the new ATPS should go a long way towards reducing injuries in jumpers by decreasing the force of landing. Paratroopers know that the majority of injuries occur on the landing. Poor body position when you hit ground will definitely get you hurt. The Advanced Tactical Parachute System will be a little bit more forgiving on poor body position landings.

To begin the ATPS consists of both a reserve and a main parachute. Both chutes add a significant amount of drag which causes the chute to hald more air and the jumper to descend more slowly. The rate of descent for the T-10 (which gives the softest landing of the two that I have jumped) is 22-24 feet per second. The rate of descent for the ATPS is 16 feet per second. That should definitely improve the rate of injury for jumpers. This should definitely be good news to 82nd Airborne Division military ring customers because there will be fewer paratroopers lost for duty at any one time due to injury.

The ATPS is a cruciform (cross) shaped parachute and the reserve chute is cone shaped. The ATPS has 28% more surface area (to catch and hold air) and the reserve has pouches on top which catch and hold air. I have not seen a picture of this parachute but its odd shape will take some getting used to.

The harness will also be improved to displace opening shock more effectively. You custom military ring customers who have jumped with the T-10 know that since the harness is seated around the groin area what it feels like when the T-10 pops open. Sometimes it really hurts. The new harness should decrease groin and back injuries to the paratrooper.