When Operation Enduring Freedom began in Afghanistan in 2002, it soon became apparent that, because of shifting winds and mountainous terrain, cargo airdropped by conventional ballistic parachutes wasn’t always getting where it needed to go. The warfighter on the ground gets resupplied, and the warfighter in the air can mostly fly straight and level at high altitude, deliver the cargo essentially to a specific point, and avoid the enemy’s weapon engagement zone.”įull development of JPADS began about ten years ago. Justin Brumley, then the 317th AG chief of standardization/evaluation. “You’ll get a big grin from an Army ground commander when you tell him you’re going to be able to consistently drop his supplies within 100 meters of the target,” said Maj. And, with only a forty-minute flying time from Dyess to the extensive training ranges and drop zones at Fort Hood, Texas, the 317th AG, with its two flying squadrons and nearly complete fleet of C-130Js, has become a recognized leader in C-130 precision airdrop operations. The Joint Precision Airdrop System, or JPADS, is a multipart, GPS-based method that allows for highly accurate parachute airdrop of cargo loads of various sizes from altitudes as high as 25,000 feet. “If a load of ammunition, food, medicine, or other high-value cargo has to be airdropped on a specific ridgeline or inside the walls of a forward operating base from standoff distance, JPADS is the only way to do it.” Howard Ward, then commander of the 317th Airlift Group, the US Air Force C-130J Super Hercules unit at Dyess AFB, Texas. “JPADS is the Air Mobility Command equivalent of a smart bomb,” stated Col.
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