PARACHUTE PRODUCTION AND TESTING RE: DESCRIPTION OF PARACHUTES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A035600240001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: July 22, 1957
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Th1s material contains infoematian atiectind the National Defense of the IInited states within the meaning of the Espionsse Isws. ? Title
la. U.8.0. ilea. 793 and T94, the transmission or re~elstion of which In any manner to an unauthoifpd person L prohibited by law.
SUBJECT Parachute Production and Testing
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
~C'~SSiNG CQQY
DATE ACQI
NO. PAGES 1
NO UIREMENT RD
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a report on the production and testing of
parachutes in. Czechoslovakia, including a description of Five types oP
parachutes.
!' .~
C~'iDENTIAL
STATE ARMY NAVY ][ AIR FBA AEC
n
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MISCELI,ANEOU3 PARACHUTE INFORMATION
Introduction
A~~. PARACHUTE PRODUCTION IN CZECH03LOVAKIA
1 lit was general laiowledge that before WW II there were two
parse u e actoriea in Czechoslovakian one in LIBEREC called "P M
STET near LIBEREC called "Suet"
these factories oduced echo es a an own time after WW I
after ~IW II these factories produced German-
ype parse u es as they did during W~1 II when the ted by the German
occupation authorities. The. post war arachute although of German
type, bore Czechoslovak labels, and ht have
irn these two factories
it was oasible ese y pro uc parse to
en produced at 2LILINA.
Parachutes _ were deliveredl the
Militar Su 3es ency ofenska Prejim~uo~ a rave).
B. PARACHUTE TESTING AT HRADEC KRAI,OVE IN MAY 1953
In May 1953 a group of about 10 officer parachutists came to IU;A~C IGiALOVE
mom an unknown unit and location to test pilots' emergency achutes t
The grou was headed Cat ~ F
the other officers; most of whom were lieutenants.
about 50 parachutes tested. The testing lasted for two aye and the
dumping was done from three DC-3 planes of the 1st Transport Regiment stationed
at Kbe1V' Airfield in PRAGUE.
wor INA.brought with them about 100 para-
chu ea, w ch they took back to the factory after
.they had been ec c eating of an unknown nature had been conducted
at the factory and three of them had been chosen at random and had
a wind tunnel at the Letnany Airfield in PRAGTJE.
The first 10 15 of the parachutes at HRAD?C KRAIA9E were dropped singly with
dummies of h~~man size and weight from a height of about 500 m and aid=t~pwn number were
c'r'vi5pn:' rom about 2000 m. Some unidentified officers from LUKA3EK'a group also
dumped from 2000 m. The time ,,.,,.,a..._a ~_ ____ ~,
~ /r~'/1~EiYT//~
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f,.
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~~~~~-iv,~~rriA~
-3-
was a stronger jerk on opening these oaraohu es than on opening other, unspecified
h
t
parac
u
es
After the teats a card wa~`~ted in a small pocket in the lower rear of the
pack of each parachute. These cards indicated the date of the testing, who had
packed it and that the teats had been completed at HRA1l?C I4tAIAVS.
C. PARACHUTE VISUAL AIDS
~ visual training aid charts on the main parts of the PD- and -
chutes. The visual aids were in Czech,
the chutes themselves were therefore of t.:sechoslovak menufactur
D. THE PD~-47 PARACHUTES (Parashyutno-.Desantnyy)
? "Raraeutieticky Vycvik" (The Training of a Parac
s~hutea w th
s roan an sgluare canopies were used bsr uaa~ecified
$, TH$ Pa-47 PARACIUTES (Parashyutno-zapaenyy)
The Pa-47 parachutes, with round and square canopies, were the reserve, cheat-
pack parachutes used in conjunction with the PD !~7 round and square oanopy para-
chutes respectively. The P3-47s had no separate harness aystmes since the PD-47
harness systems accomodated the PZ-47s as well. The P~-Q7 round canopy parachute
had 20 panels and 20 suspension lines while the square canopy parachute had eight
panels and eight suspension lines.
On the square-canopy PZ-47 the sus~.~enaion lines extended only as far as the
canopy while on the round PZ-47 all but two suspension lines went around the
canopy. The P~-47s were equipped with an emergency rip-cord handle. The had
four risers as did the PD-
F. THS PDT-,41 PARACHUP83 (Parashyutno~esantnyy)
The PD-1~1, parachutes as described in the book "Parasutisticky Sport" (The
Sport of Parachutin) also consisted of around-canopy and asquare-canopy para-
chute. the of identical with the
1"~odel P r _
chute had 24 o panes a
According to "Paraeutisticky Sport" the square parchutes were more manageable
and leas dangerous, and there was lees jerk on opening than with the round para-
chutea. The round parachutes opened faster and were therefore safer in low-
altitude jumps. There was also less oscillation with the round parachutes.
a. THE PS-/~1. PARACHUTES (Parashyutno Sapasnyy)
The PS-1~.1 parachutos,aquare and round, were the reserve parachutes used with
the PD-l+]. square and round paraohutes respeotively. the round-
canopy PZ-41 as described in "Perg~tisticky Sport" was very similar to if not
there
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COAT/17E/ T/%G
identical with the Model PS L1
H. TH$ PDT PARACHUTI; (Parashyutno~esantnyy ~renirovochpyy)
This training parachute had a round canopy.l9~ described in "Paraeutisticky
Sport ;. ~ +: r~uu ~:,~ suspension lines and was aback-pack parachute with which no
reserve parachute was usedo 3
I, SUPPLEMENTARY RELL~~E DfEVICE
~ he lementary release dc;~tice
an anero au omatic release that could
w any main parachute.
on a eft side of the parse
it could somehow be adjusted to ac va e e opening of parachute at a desired
h
i ht
e
, thA su leme lease cable housing
as subordinate to the Rear Services of the 11rm~r.
the Air Force probably had its
own military supplies agency which would have been
subordinate to the Air Ferew RwA,- so,..,,...a
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1,
Comment s
z. (Comment
the Military Supplies
ency o ens a P e~ima~, aiprava).
: LUKASEK and the other officers in this group wore
ground force uniforms and airborne should
insignia
3 ~ Comment
the PD-r parachute was used by the
u en a ump g om the balloon at PRFSOV in lA5'~_
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