The US Air Force's 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron based in Kandhar, Afghanistan, executed the first combat Extracted Container...
The US Air Force's 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron based in Kandhar, Afghanistan, executed the first combat Extracted Container Delivery System, or XCDS, airdrop on April 29, successfully demonstrating the increased accuracy that this new technology provides.
The new airdrop method is designed to pull the bundles out of the aircraft at a faster rate than the current airdrop process, which improves the overall accuracy of the drop itself.
Earlier called the high speed container delivery system, this new system is designed to deliver supplies to troops on the ground from lower altitudes and higher airspeeds from a C-130J airlifter
"Normally a bundle falls out of the aircraft due to gravity, with the speed mostly dependent on the deck angle of the aircraft," said Capt. Raeanna Elms, with the 772nd EAS.
"With XCDS, there is an additional parachute attached to a group of bundles, that pulls them out of the aircraft together and at a faster speed, resulting in a smaller dispersion area on the ground".
XCDS has increased the drop airspeed from 140 knots to 245 knots and reduced the drop altitude to 250 feet above ground. It can extract upto eight 2,000-pound supply containers.
The 772nd EAS, known informally as the"Gun Runners," performs the large majority of airdrop missions in theater, averaging about two airdrop missions per day. Most airdrop missions utilize the conventional Container Delivery System, which can deliver more than 30,000 pounds of supplies to troops on the ground. Another method used less frequently is the Low-Cost, Low-Altitude system which provides a very precise and inexpensive method for resupply.
