Guided airborne vehicle, cargo and personnel delivery system

Abstract

A guided aerial delivery device which safely and precisely delivers a standard vehicle, personnel and/or cargo, from a high-flying aircraft, to a precise target or location. In the preferred embodiment, the aerial delivery device generally comprises a cage-like module, which encloses and secures a standard, motorized vehicle, a large “ram-air” type gliding parachute, a“drogue” parachute and a “fly-by-wire” control system. The vehicle, typically an ATV, needs no modification. The delivery device employs an onboard human pilot to navigate the module. Upon exiting the aircraft, a drogue parachute stabilizes the freefall of the vehicle and releases the large “ram-air” parachute. The use of a skilled pilot allows the aerial delivery device to be guided to a designated landing site. Upon landing, the vehicle is easily detached from its parachute member and driven away. The cage-like module can be removed from the vehicle in a matter of minutes, or in a preferred application it can be left on the vehicle for future drops and utilized for mission specific tasks on the ground, such as mounting supplies, weapons, instruments etc. The vehicle is fully functional with the cage-like module attached. In an alternate embodiment, a non-powered vehicle is integrated with the enclosure to act as a training vehicle. Upon landing, the training vehicle is simply hitched to a motorized vehicle and driven off.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.