FOREIGN MILITARY REVIEW No. 2/2002, pp. 17-22
GROUND TROOPS
B. BOGDAN,
candidate of technical sciences
Airborne training (VAT) in the US Army (BAC - Basic Airborne Course) is carried out on the basis of the 1st Battalion of the 507th Parachute Regiment, which is called the "Airborne Training School" (located on the territory of Fort Benning, Georgia). The headquarters of the 1st battalion is the central body of the national armed forces for the management of the VDP. It is also entrusted with the task of providing airborne training for both the personnel of the army and units of the Navy, marines, units special operations Air Force, Coast Guard rescue services, other units of the US Armed Forces, as well as military personnel of other countries. In addition, the battalion trains air controllers and air controllers for teams providing landing zones.
The 1st battalion consists of a headquarters and four training companies (A, B, C and D), as well as a support company (E), which stows, repairs and stores parachutes and other equipment. The divisions of the headquarters company develop schedules for the VDP and monitor their implementation. The basis of the teaching staff of the battalion are drill sergeants (DI - Drill Instructor). Their hallmark is a black baseball cap.
Classes are held for three weeks (125 hours of study time). During this period, cadets must learn to perform T-10M parachute jumps from transport aircraft of two types (C-130 and C-141) and land in compliance with safety regulations. Five jumps are required to successfully complete the course. In addition, instructors must identify those who do not have the psychophysical stability necessary for a paratrooper paratrooper and cannot become one.
Every year, 44 recruits of 370 - 380 people are carried out in the battalion, and about 14,000 qualified paratroopers are issued. According to statistics, about 85 percent of students complete courses. military men. Female military personnel are also trained here, and in the process of training, because of its complexity, they are weeded out 3 times more than men. Only 53 percent complete school. female soldiers and officers.
The main reasons for expulsion from school are the following (the number of dropouts per year is indicated in brackets): medical contraindications (injuries) - 58 percent. (2,790 people), did not withstand physical training -18 percent. (870), by the decision of the instructors - 11 percent. (540), by own will- 8 per cent. (390), other causes - 5 percent. (249). Health problems are the main reason for deductions. This includes damage to bone and muscle tissue, heat stroke, and so on, which, according to the US Army command, is due to high physical exertion and the climate of the area where the VRT school is located. In the state of Georgia in the summer in the morning, the air temperature reaches +27°C (in the afternoon it reaches +38°C), and the humidity is 90 - 95 percent. Therefore, 18 per cent. military personnel do not withstand the load during physical training, that is, they cannot fulfill the required standards daily (for example, in running), designed specifically to identify those who are not able to endure prolonged physical exertion. Some cadets leave the school of their own free will, having learned that if the life of a paratrooper starts like this, then it is not for them.
Recruitment to the VRT school is carried out exclusively on a voluntary basis. Those wishing to undergo such training sign a contract in which they undertake to perform combat jumps at any time and in any area. The only reason for refusing admission can only be the opinion of a doctor. Any serviceman can become a cadet of the school, starting with a private, who has just received a military specialty. According to normative document There are three requirements for admission to the VDP SH (Student Hangout) 57-1 school: the age of up to 36 years, he must be a volunteer and pass the physical fitness standards (Table 1). All military personnel (including those with vision correction) are automatically considered physically fit to perform parachute jumps from an aircraft.
Table 1
STANDARDS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING FOR CADETS OF THE SCHOOL OF THE VRT
In order to be enrolled in the VDP school, those who wish to write a report and send it along with certified results on passing physical fitness standards. This school began its work in 1942. At the same time, a methodology was developed for the training and selection of personnel in the Airborne Forces. Over the years, neither the equipment nor the methodology itself has undergone significant changes.
Equipment paratrooper paratrooper. U.S. Army paratroopers jump in the normal field uniform worn by all members of the Army. On their heads they wear an ordinary protective helmet made of composite material Kevlar. Skydivers put on special boots designed for parachuting with a reinforced top and sole to prevent damage to the ankle and foot, a pair of such boots weighs 1.8 kg. The paratroopers' equipment includes a body armor (weighing 9.1 kg) made of Kevlar, but it is not worn during the jump. Bulletproof vests are dropped by cargo parachutes.
The paratrooper's personal weapons - the M4A carbine (2.8 kg), the M16A2 rifle (3.5 kg) and the M249 machine gun (6.88 kg) are packed in a special container with a slot for attaching one equipped magazine. The container is tied with ribbons to the suspension system on the left side of the parachutist (Fig. 1). Ammunition (six magazines for the M4A and four grenades located in two pouches) is attached to the waist belt and supported by shoulder straps. Two flasks of 1 liter for drinking water are also attached to the belt. Javelin-type anti-tank systems, the Stinger MANPADS complex, the M240V machine gun and the 60-mm mortar (complete) are also packed in containers that are on the left shoulder of the paratroopers.
The waist belt and fasteners are designed so that the equipment does not move along the belt during the movement of the skydiver. He has with him a dressing bag in a special pouch, which is usually attached to the left shoulder, and on the left on the belt is an M9 bayonet knife and a gas mask complete with protective clothing. The parachute harness is worn over the above equipment. After landing, the paratrooper is released from the suspension system, takes out a rifle and a magazine and is prepared for firing.
In the airborne units of the United States, the role of a cargo container is performed by a standard army duffel bag (ALICE pack), which is suspended on a special halyard under a reserve parachute. Waterproof backpack mounted on an aluminum frame, has a main compartment with a pocket for the radio station and three external compartments. There are several types of such backpacks that have a common design, but differ in size (the largest is used in the Airborne Forces). After separating from the aircraft and opening the parachute, the jumper unties the backpack, which falls down and is held by the 15th halyard. The backpack first touches the ground, which reduces the total mass of the skydiver and reduces the speed of his landing. During a night jump, the backpack helps to determine the moment of contact with the ground.
The total weight of the skydiver's equipment reaches 50 kg, and all additional cargo is placed in a backpack. If a submachine gunner jumps, then he has an additional load - a machine-gun belt for the M240V machine gun, a spare magazine for the M249 machine gun (3.14 kg), M18 A1 mines (1.6 kg).
The firing group of the infantry squad is issued two AN/PVS-7B night vision binoculars (0.68 kg each), which are intended for the group commander and machine gunner, as well as four AN/PAQ-4C laser designators (0.255 kg each) and one satellite topographic device. bindings AN / PSN-11 (1.5 kg).
According to the standards developed by the US Department of Defense, each paratrooper must be given four sets of field rations (MRE - Meals Ready to-Eat) no 1 kg per day, which makes the individual load almost unbearable (during three-day exercises it is 12 kg). Usually skydivers take only two MRE packets per day, as this is considered to be enough (otherwise you can dial excess weight, despite the severity of the exercises).
Considering that airborne forces are used in different regions of the world, paratroopers provide themselves with a supply of water (2 liters), since when they get on a plane, they do not know where they will be dropped, in addition, they take with them two rubber containers (1.8 liters) , so-called " bladder”, which he puts in a backpack, and also buys a “camel hump” for his own money - a flat rubber container placed between the back and the backpack and having a rubber hose through which you can drink water on the march. The set of equipment includes a sleeping bag, raincoat, bowl, spoon, stainless steel fork. The ALICE backpack has a quick drop system, which, in the event of a meeting with the enemy, allows the paratrooper to quickly drop it and fight.
Rice. 1. Skydiver in full gear
Physical training. The US Army Command believes that the school is not so much physical training how much selection of those who are worthy of being a paratrooper of the ground forces. For VTP and physical training classes, servicemen put on a combat field uniform with a head helmet (weight 1.3 kg). The helmet is numbered to allow the instructor to address the appropriate student. VRT school instructors are authorized to modify the following provisions of the FM 21-20 field manual for physical training. According to him, gymnastic exercises and running should be performed only for a while, you can not set the number of repetitions, distance and pace of the exercises, it is forbidden to use physical exercise as a punishment (this is only allowed during the URT). During the day, the cadet does at least 200 push-ups and half-squats. If he makes mistakes at the same time, he performs push-ups from the floor, and if he is wearing a suspension system with a parachute model, he performs half-squats. As a rule, it is required to do ten push-ups or half-squats (you need to squat down so that you can reach the top of your boots with your hands down). In turn, the cadet must complete the given exercise 11 times and be sure to shout out: “For the Airborne Forces” (For Airborn).
Classes at the school start on Monday, but the selected cadets arrive at the school two to three days in advance to acclimatize. After getting up at 6 a.m., a 60-minute workout is performed daily. In the course of it, in particular, it is planned to run in line at a pace set by instructors - 1 mile in 9 minutes. The schedule of running for certain distances is presented in Table. 2.
After running, the cadets perform a special (“landing”) complex gymnastic exercises under the commands and in the volume that the instructors set. The first exercise is jumping in place; the second - pulling up on the crossbar; the third is push-ups from the floor; fourth - from a position lying on your back, arms outstretched to the sides, raise straight legs up and lower them alternately to the left to the right; fifth - half-squats (you need to get straight arms to the top of the boots); the sixth - from a standing position, hands behind the head, lean forward and reach the knee of the left leg with the right elbow and vice versa, and then straighten up; finally, the last, seventh exercise for the press “in a landing way”: from the supine position, hands behind the head, knees bent at a right angle, move to a sitting position, while the feet must be pressed to the floor by yourself, without the help of a partner.
table 2
RUNNING SCHEDULE FOR CADETS OF THE VRT SCHOOL
Daily running is also a violation of the charter, since according to it it is necessary to alternate running, which contributes to the development of endurance, with loads for the development of strength. In addition to developing endurance, daily running allows you to identify those who have received a lower limb injury in preparation for jumps or during their performance and are trying to hide it. Landing with an injured leg can cause more significant injury. If the cadet fails to meet the time allotted for the distance twice, then he is expelled and transferred to the headquarters company. Everyone gathers here, including those who were injured and injured, but retained the desire to become a skydiver. In the medical section, they are treated, rehabilitated, exercised until they can run 4 miles in 36 minutes. Then they start school again.
Features of air training at the VDP school. The first day of classes (like all subsequent ones) begins with a divorce, and ends with a parade march of cadets "platoon" in front of the school command. Then the school commander speaks to them, who talks about the training program, demonstration jumps are held, and the cadets are explained what will be required of them in the learning process. The introductory lesson ends with an inspection of all simulators and a demonstration of techniques.
A feature of airborne training is that in the US Army paratroopers themselves do not pack parachutes - this is done by full-time packers. There are no theoretical lessons in the courses. First, the instructors demonstrate the correct execution of the element. All training is designed to teach the cadet to do this during practical exercises on various simulators.
The first two weeks are entirely devoted to ground training. During the first, which is called "ground week" (ground week), cadets master the performance of individual elements of the jump: fitting the harness and putting on a parachute; landing and accommodation in the aircraft; the actions of paratroopers on the signals and commands of the issuer; rules and techniques for separating from C-130 and C-141 aircraft on their mock-ups.
The T-10M parachute kit includes a main and a reserve parachute. Disclosure of the main occurs without the use of a stabilizing device. On the plane, the parachutist, at the command of the releaser, hooks the carabiner of the parachute pull rope onto the extension cable. After the parachutist is separated from the aircraft, the lanyard is pulled to its full length, holding the canopy cover attached to its loop, and pulls it off the main parachute. To compensate for the jerk during separation from the aircraft, the parachutist must bend at the hip joints the legs brought together, tense and straightened at right angles to the body, clasp the reserve parachute with his hands, tighten the abdominal muscles and start counting four seconds, during which the canopy comes out of the cover and disclosure. A lot of time is devoted to working out this element in the main classes on various simulators, as well as in passing trainings. Any instructor has the right to give a cadet the command “Hit it” at any time. The cadet must drop what he was doing, jump up and land on straightened legs brought together, bending forward at the hip joints, and wrap his arms around an imaginary reserve parachute and begin to count loudly: “One thousand, two thousand ...” (the parachute opens for 4 s). Then he should straighten up, raise his head and arms up and check if the dome has opened and if cracks have appeared in the cloth.
On mock-ups of C-130 and C-141 aircraft, a comprehensive training is carried out on boarding an aircraft, placing paratroopers in an aircraft, hooking a carabiner to an extension cable, paratroopers' actions on the commands of the releaser, separation from the aircraft, jumping by a group of paratroopers in one to four streams.
In the US Army, cadets are taught when landing not to turn on the straps into the wind, but to group and roll in the appropriate direction: left, right, forward, backward. In this regard, much attention is paid to the development of the elements of correct landing, starting with the adoption of the correct body position during landing (Parachute Landing Fall - PLF), jumping from a parachute springboard, and rolling after landing.
On the slipway with suspension systems, cadets practice the actions of a parachutist in the air: refueling the suspension system, using a reserve parachute, freeing from a cargo container and getting ready to land on a forest, water.
A comprehensive training in the implementation of the elements of the jump during the first week is carried out on a cable slide 10 m high. The cadet, putting on a suspension system with a T-10M reserve parachute model and a cargo container, climbs the stairs to the upper platform of the cable slide. Here the instructor attaches the suspension system to the carrying work carriage. The cadet, on the command of the instructor “Go”, jumps off the platform, separates from the “airplane”, and goes down the cable, performing the elements of the jump: grouped in order to meet the jerk of the dome; fills the main strap of the suspension system; groups up again to meet the ground; and its further sliding along the cable is stopped by a special stopper and the hands of the insuring cadets. Each of them does this exercise daily 6 times for four days (Fig. 2).
The second week is devoted to the development of the following elements: the actions of paratroopers in the air, techniques and rules for deploying a reserve parachute, landing a paratrooper and extinguishing the canopy, assembling a parachute and putting it in a parachute bag, and in addition, those that were worked out during the first week. The second week of ground training is called "tower week", as jumps are made from 76 m parachute towers. Two towers with four workplaces each are installed on the territory of the school, and jumps are held in eight streams. The parachute tower is a complex projectile, on which the cadet is introduced to the height and practice landing preparation and landing technique. A cadet with a harness and a dummy reserve parachute is attached to the dummy canopy with straps, raised to a height, and then he performs a descent (Fig. 3).
In addition, classes are held on a parachute jump equipped with a slipway with a suspension system. The cadet jumps off the springboard, the instructor swings it and smoothly lowers it down, at a height of 1 m the cadet is released and he falls. The task of the cadet is to catch the direction of rolling at the moment of landing and correctly perform grouping and rolling.
During the third week, skydiving is performed. On Monday, after physical training, classes are held with the cadets, during which they work out actions in critical situations and the deployment of a reserve parachute. Then they are shown a training film, which shows the main critical situations and the correct actions of paratroopers. Next, the paratroopers receive parachutes, adjust suspension systems and move to the airfield. Here, cadets put on parachutes and go to the control lines of the start. Ship groups are loaded onto C-130 and C-141 aircraft at 14.00 (Fig. 5), and paratroopers are dropped onto the landing site called Friar at 14.30. The platform with a length of more than 2 km with a smooth and soft ground surface allows for a mass drop from a height of 300 m and at an aircraft speed of 240 km / h, which make several circles over the platform, dropping 18 paratroopers each time.
On Tuesday, loading takes place at 11.00 and jumps at 11.30. The second jump is made with full combat equipment and a cargo container. The cadets begin loading onto aircraft for the third jump at 15.00. The third jump is a massive one, performed in two streams, in full gear with a cargo container. The first paratroopers are separated from the plane at 15.30. On Wednesday, cadets make two more jumps. At 14.30, a mass drop of paratroopers from two aircraft is carried out simultaneously in full combat equipment and with cargo containers. Starting from 21.30 cadets perform the fifth (last) night jump in full gear and with a cargo container.
Thursday is devoted to the rehearsal of the graduation ceremony for receiving the badges of the paratroopers and the parade. On this day, the uniforms and equipment received at the school are brought into the proper form and delivered to the warehouse, documents are drawn up. Friday is the only day when physical training is not carried out: cadets turn in bed linen, put the barracks in order and change clothes for the parade.
At 11.00, the graduation ceremony begins with the presentation of paratrooper badges to cadets, ending with a parade. Cadets cease to be simple military personnel (leg - straight leg), and become paratroopers - "cherries" (cherry), that is, without experience. They will receive an allowance of $110 per month for their skydiver status, including three weeks in school. In order to maintain this status and the monthly bonus, you must make one jump every three months.
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Airborne training is one of the leading disciplines in the combat training of airborne troops. It includes:
- study of the material part of human landing parachutes and insurers parachute instruments;
- learning the rules for packing parachutes to make a jump;
- studying the rules for preparing weapons and equipment for a parachute jump;
- ground testing of elements of a parachute jump on shells of an airborne complex;
- organizing and conducting parachute jumps;
- preparation for the landing of weapons, military equipment and cargo and landing them.
A special place in airborne training is occupied by the practical performance of parachute jumps, which are the most important stage in the training of a paratrooper paratrooper.
Learning process- this is an active cognitive activity of soldiers in the assimilation of educational material. The training process in the airborne troops is one of the forms of military labor of military personnel, an important integral part their official activities. Its results find their expression in a certain system of knowledge, skills and abilities that trainees acquire under the guidance of their commanders and superiors.
Knowledge- a product of human cognitive activity, a reflection in his mind (in the form of ideas, concepts) of objects and phenomena of the objective world, the laws of nature and society. Skill is a practical action performed on the basis of acquired knowledge. Skill there is a practical action that is distinguished by a high degree of development (“automation”). There is a complex interaction between skills and abilities: in some cases, a skill is an advanced skill, in others, a skill grows on the basis of skills.
Achieving high learning outcomes largely depends on the paths along which the movement from ignorance to knowledge, from incomplete knowledge to more complete is carried out. These ways and means are teaching methods.
Teaching methods- those are the ways and means by which the communication and assimilation of knowledge is achieved, the formation of skills and abilities, the development of high morale and combat qualities, and the combat cohesion of subunits and units is ensured. Each method consists of interrelated elements called learning techniques. In this case, the same techniques can be part of different methods. This or that method gets its name most often according to the leading technique (Table 1).
Depending on the nature of the educational material, these methods can appear in one or another variety that best suits it. What should be guided by choosing one or another method? As you know, at any lesson the leader can set three main didactic or most general educational goals: to impart new knowledge to the soldiers and achieve their deep assimilation; to develop the skills and abilities of the trainees; consolidate knowledge and improve skills and abilities. Achieving the first goal requires mainly such methods as oral presentation, display, conversation; the second is an exercise followed by a brief explanation; the third - independent reading of textbooks, technical literature and other sources, independent training.
High-quality training of personnel for parachute jumps in the shortest possible time requires commanders of all levels to solve a number of complex problems. The task is to ensure that minimal cost study time to ensure a deep assimilation of the necessary amount of knowledge and a high level of development of practical skills. The intensification of the personnel training process is closely connected with the mastery and development of training methods and means, and the all-round improvement of the methodological culture of officers and sergeants. Moreover, the question of the depth of knowledge, the quality of skills and abilities is, in essence, the question of teaching methods, that is, the ability of the leader of the lesson to rationally present educational material, organize practical work trainees to control their actions. The methodological skill of the leader of the lesson is characterized by the ability to find the technique and the means that are necessary precisely in given time, in this lesson, to effectively apply the method that has already been used many times, taking into account the specific learning conditions (composition of trainees, place, visual aids, allotted time). Methodical mastery is also expressed in providing the most expedient for this moment a combination of techniques and teaching methods.
Therefore, the task of each officer of the airborne troops (and, first of all, the commander of the paratrooper unit) is to constantly work on methodological training, develop and improve their skills in organizing and conducting all types of airborne training.
The origin and development of airborne training is connected with the history of parachuting and the improvement of the parachute.
The creation of various devices for safe descent from a great height goes back centuries. A scientifically based proposal of this kind is the invention of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). He wrote: "If a person has a tent of starched linen 12 cubits wide and 12 high, then he can throw himself from any height without danger to himself." The first practical jump was made in 1617, when the Venetian mechanical engineer F. Veranzio made a device and, jumping from the roof of a high tower, landed safely.
The word "parachute", which has survived to this day, was proposed by the French scientist S. Lenormand (from the Greek para– against and French chute- the fall). He built and personally tested his apparatus, having made a jump from the window of the observatory in 1783.
The further development of the parachute is associated with the appearance of balloons, when it became necessary to create life-saving devices. Parachutes used on balloons had either a hoop or spokes so that the canopy was always in the open state, and it could be used at any time. Parachutes in this form were attached under the gondola of the balloon or were an intermediate connecting link between the balloon and the gondola.
In the 19th century, a pole hole began to be made in the parachute dome, hoops and knitting needles were removed from the dome frame, and the parachute dome itself began to be attached to the side of the balloon shell.
The pioneers of domestic parachuting are Stanislav, Jozef and Olga Drevnitsky. Jozef by 1910 had already made more than 400 parachute jumps.
In 1911, G. E. Kotelnikov developed and patented backpack parachute RK-1. It was successfully tested on June 19, 1912. The new parachute was compact and met all the basic requirements for use in aviation. Its dome was made of silk, the slings were divided into groups, the suspension system consisted of a belt, chest girth, two shoulder straps and leg girths. The main feature of the parachute was its autonomy, which makes it possible to use it regardless of the aircraft.
Until the end of the 1920s, parachutes were created and improved in order to save the life of an aeronaut or pilot in the event of a forced flight from an aircraft in the air. The escape technique was worked out on the ground and was based on theoretical and practical studies of a parachute jump, knowledge of the recommendations for leaving the aircraft and the rules for using a parachute, i.e., the foundations of ground training were laid.
Without training in the practical performance of the jump, parachute training was reduced to teaching the pilot to put on a parachute, separate from the aircraft, pull out the exhaust ring, and after opening the parachute it was recommended: “when approaching the ground, preparing for the descent, take a sitting position in the help, but so so that the knees are lower than the hips. Do not try to get up, do not strain your muscles, lower yourself freely, and if necessary, then roll on the ground.
In 1928, the commander of the troops of the Leningrad Military District, M. N. Tukhachevsky, was entrusted with the development of a new Field Manual. The work on the draft regulations necessitated the operational department of the headquarters of the military district to prepare an abstract for discussion on the topic "Airborne assault operations in an offensive operation."
In theoretical works, it was concluded that the very technique of landing airborne assault forces and the nature of their combat behind enemy lines place increased demands on the personnel of the landing force. Their training program should be built on the basis of the requirements of airborne operations, covering a wide area of skills and knowledge, since every fighter is registered in the airborne assault. It was emphasized that the excellent tactical training of each member of the landing force must be combined with his exceptional decisiveness, based on a deep and quick assessment of the situation.
In January 1930, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR approved a reasonable program for the construction of certain types of aircraft (airplanes, balloons, airships), which were to fully take into account the needs of a new, emerging branch of the military - air infantry.
On July 26, 1930, the first parachute exercises in the country with jumping from an airplane were opened to test the theoretical provisions in the field of the use of airborne assaults at the airfield of the 11th air brigade in Voronezh on July 26, 1930. 30 paratroopers were trained for the purpose of dropping an experimental airborne assault at the upcoming experimental demonstration exercise of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District. In the course of solving the tasks of the exercise, the main elements of airborne training were reflected.
10 people were selected to participate in the landing. The landing force was divided into two groups. The first group and the detachment as a whole was led by a military pilot, participant civil war, brigade commander L. G. Minov, parachute enthusiast, the second - military pilot Ya. D. Moshkovsky. The main purpose of this experiment was to demonstrate to the participants in the aviation exercise the technique of dropping parachute troops and delivering them the weapons and ammunition necessary for combat. The plan also provided for the study of a number of special issues of parachute landing: the reduction of paratroopers in conditions of simultaneous group drop, the rate of paratrooper drop, the magnitude of their dispersion and the time of collection after landing, the time spent on finding weapons dropped by parachute, and the degree of its safety.
Preliminary training of personnel and weapons before landing was carried out on combat parachutes, and training was carried out directly on the aircraft from which the jump was to be made.
On August 2, 1930, an airplane took off from the airfield with the first group of paratroopers led by L. G. Minov and three R-1 aircraft, which carried two containers with machine guns, rifles, and ammunition under their wings. Following the first, a second group of paratroopers headed by Ya. D. Moshkovsky was thrown out. The paratroopers, quickly collecting parachutes, headed to the assembly point, unpacked the containers along the way and, having dismantled the weapons, began to carry out the task.
August 2, 1930 went down in history as the birthday of the airborne troops. Since that time, the parachute has a new purpose - to ensure the landing of troops behind enemy lines, and a new type of troops has appeared in the Armed Forces of the country.
In 1930, the country's first factory for the production of parachutes was opened, its director, chief engineer and designer was M. A. Savitsky. In April of the same year, the first prototypes of the NII-1 type rescue parachute, PL-1 rescue parachutes for pilots, PN-1 for pilot-observers (navigators) and PT-1 parachutes for training jumps by flight crews were manufactured. Air Force, paratroopers and paratroopers.
In 1931, at this factory, PD-1 parachutes designed by M.A. Savitsky were manufactured, which, starting from 1933, began to be supplied to parachute units.
Created by that time, airborne soft bags (PAMM), paratrooper gasoline tanks (PDBB) and other types of landing containers mainly provided for the parachute drop of all types of light weapons and combat cargo.
Simultaneously with the creation of the production base for parachute construction, research work was widely developed, which set itself the following tasks:
Creation of such a design of a parachute that would withstand the load received after opening when jumping from an aircraft flying at maximum speed;
Creation of a parachute that provides minimal overload on the human body;
Determination of the maximum allowable overload for the human body;
The search for such a shape of the dome, which, at the lowest cost of material and ease of manufacture, would provide the lowest rate of descent of the parachutist and would prevent him from swinging.
At the same time, all theoretical calculations had to be verified in practice. It was necessary to determine how safe a parachute jump is from one or another point of the aircraft at maximum flight speed, to recommend safe methods of separation from the aircraft, to study the trajectory of the parachutist after separation at various flight speeds, to study the effect of a parachute jump on the human body. It was very important to know whether every paratrooper would be able to open the parachute manually or if a special medical selection was necessary.
As a result of research by doctors of the Military Medical Academy, materials were obtained that for the first time highlighted the issues of the psychophysiology of parachute jumping and were of practical importance for the selection of candidates for the training of instructors in parachute training.
To solve the tasks of landing, bombers TB-1, TB-3 and R-5, as well as some types of aircraft of the civil air fleet (ANT-9, ANT-14 and later PS-84) were used. The PS-84 aircraft could transport parachute suspensions, and when loaded internally, it could take 18 - 20 PDMM (PDBB-100), which could be thrown out simultaneously through both doors by paratroopers or crew.
In 1931, the combat training plan of an airborne assault detachment contained parachute training for the first time. To master the new discipline in the Leningrad Military District, training camps were organized, at which seven parachute instructors were trained. Parachute training instructors carried out a lot of experimental work in order to gain practical experience, so they jumped on the water, on the forest, on the ice, with additional cargo, with winds up to 18 m / s, with various weapons, with shooting and throwing grenades in the air.
The beginning of a new stage in the development of airborne troops was laid by a resolution of the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR, adopted on December 11, 1932, in which it was planned to form one airborne detachment in the Belarusian, Ukrainian, Moscow and Volga military districts by March 1933.
In Moscow, on May 31, 1933, the Higher Parachute School OSOAVIAKHIM was opened, which began the systematic training of paratrooper instructors and parachute handlers.
In 1933, jumping in winter conditions was mastered, the temperature possible for mass jumps, the strength of the wind near the ground, the best way landing and justified the need to develop special paratrooper uniforms, convenient for jumping and for actions on the ground during the battle.
In 1933, the PD-2 parachute appeared, three years later the PD-6 parachute, the dome of which had a round shape and an area of 60.3 m 2. Mastering new parachutes, techniques and methods of landing, and having accumulated sufficient practice in performing various parachute jumps, paratrooper instructors gave recommendations on improving ground training, on improving the methods of leaving the aircraft.
The high professional level of paratrooper instructors allowed them to prepare 1,200 paratroopers for landing in the autumn of 1935 at the exercises of the Kyiv district, more than 1,800 people near Minsk in the same year, and 2,200 paratroopers at the exercises of the Moscow military district in 1936.
Thus, the experience of the exercises and the successes of Soviet industry allowed the Soviet command to determine the role of airborne operations in modern combat and move from experiments to the organization of parachute units. The Field Manual of 1936 (PU-36, § 7) stated: “Airborne units are an effective means for disorganizing the control and work of the enemy’s rear. In cooperation with troops advancing from the front, paratrooper units can exert a decisive influence on the complete defeat of the enemy in a given direction.
In 1937, in order to prepare civilian youth for military service, the Course of Educational and Sports Parachute Training (KUPP) of the USSR OSOAVIAKhIM for 1937 was introduced, in which task No. 17 included such an element as a jump with a rifle and folding skis.
The teaching aids for airborne training were instructions for packing parachutes, which were also parachute documents. Later, in 1938, the Technical Description and Instructions for Packing Parachutes were published.
In the summer of 1939, a gathering of the best paratroopers of the Red Army was held, which was a demonstration of the enormous successes achieved by our country in the field of parachuting. In terms of its results, the nature and mass nature of the jumps, the collection was an outstanding event in the history of parachuting.
The experiences of the jumps were analyzed, discussed, generalized, and all the best, acceptable for mass training, was brought to the parachute training instructors at the training camp.
In 1939, a safety device appeared as part of the parachute. The Doronin brothers - Nikolai, Vladimir and Anatoly created a semi-automatic device (PPD-1) with a clock mechanism that opens the parachute after a specified time after the paratrooper has separated from the aircraft. In 1940, the PAS-1 parachute device was developed with an aneroid device designed by L. Savichev. The device was designed to automatically open the parachute at any given height. Subsequently, the Doronin brothers, together with L. Savichev, designed a parachute device, connecting a temporary device with an aneroid device and calling it KAP-3 (combined automatic parachute). The device ensured the opening of the parachute at a given height or after a specified time after the separation of the paratrooper from the aircraft in any conditions, if for some reason the paratrooper himself did not do this.
In 1940, the PD-10 parachute with a dome area of 72 m 2 was created, in 1941 - the PD-41 parachute, the percale dome of this parachute with an area of 69.5 m 2 had a square shape. In April 1941, the Air Force Research Institute completed field tests of suspensions and platforms for dropping 45-mm anti-tank guns, motorcycles with sidecars, etc. by parachute.
The level of development of airborne training and paratroopers ensured the fulfillment of command tasks during the Great Patriotic War.
First in Great Patriotic war a small airborne assault was used near Odessa. It was thrown out on the night of September 22, 1941 from a TB-3 aircraft and had the task of disrupting enemy communications and control with a series of sabotage and fire, creating panic behind enemy lines and thereby pulling part of its forces and means from the coast. Having landed safely, the paratroopers, alone and in small groups, successfully completed the task.
Airborne landing in November 1941 in the Kerch-Feodosiya operation, landing of the 4th airborne corps in January - February 1942 in order to complete the encirclement of the enemy's Vyazemskaya grouping, landing of the 3rd and 5th guards airborne brigades in the Dnieper airborne operation in September 1943 made an invaluable contribution to the development of airborne training. For example, on October 24, 1942, an airborne assault was landed directly on the Maykop airfield to destroy aircraft at the airfield. The landing was carefully prepared, the detachment was divided into groups. Each paratrooper made five jumps day and night, all actions were carefully played.
For the personnel, a set of weapons and equipment was determined depending on the task they performed. Each paratrooper of the sabotage group had a machine gun, two disks with cartridges and an additional three incendiary devices, a flashlight and food for two days. The cover group had two machine guns, the paratroopers of this group did not take some weapons, but had an additional 50 rounds of ammunition for the machine gun.
As a result of the detachment's attack on the Maikop airfield, 22 enemy aircraft were destroyed.
The situation that developed during the war required the use of airborne troops both for operations as part of airborne assaults behind enemy lines and for operations from the front as part of guards rifle formations, which placed additional requirements on airborne training.
After each landing, the experience was summarized, and the necessary amendments were made in the training of paratroopers. So, in the manual for the commander of the airborne units, published in 1942, in chapter 3 it was written: “Training in the installation and operation of the material part of the PD-6, PD-6PR and PD-41-1 landing parachutes should be carried out according to the technical descriptions of these parachutes set out in special brochures, ”and in the section“ Fitting weapons and equipment for a combat jump ”it was indicated:“ For conducting classes, order to prepare parachutes, rifles, submachine guns, light machine guns, grenades, portable shovels or axes, cartridge pouches, bags for light machine gun magazines, raincoats, knapsacks or duffel bags. In the same figure, a sample of the attachment of a weapon was shown, where the muzzle of the weapon was attached to the main girth with the help of an elastic band or a trencher.
The difficulty of putting a parachute into action using an exhaust ring, as well as the accelerated training of paratroopers during the war, necessitated the creation of a parachute that opens automatically. For this purpose, in 1942, a parachute PD-6-42 was created with a round dome with an area of 60.3 m 2 . For the first time on this parachute, a pull rope was used, which ensured the opening of the parachute by force.
With the development of the airborne troops, the system of training command personnel is developing and improving, which was initiated by the creation in August 1941 in the city of Kuibyshev of the airborne school, which in the fall of 1942 was relocated to Moscow. In June 1943, the school was disbanded, and training continued at the Higher Officer Courses of the Airborne Forces. In 1946, in the city of Frunze, to replenish the officer cadres of the airborne troops, a military parachute school was formed, the students of which were officers of the Airborne Forces and graduates of infantry schools. In 1947, after the first graduation of retrained officers, the school was relocated to the city of Alma-Ata, and in 1959 to the city of Ryazan.
The school program included the study of airborne training (ADP) as one of the main disciplines. The methodology for passing the course was built taking into account the requirements for airborne assault forces in the Great Patriotic War.
After the war, the airborne training course was constantly taught with a generalization of the experience of ongoing exercises, as well as recommendations from research and design organizations. The classrooms, laboratories and parachute camps of the school are equipped with the necessary parachute shells and simulators, models of military transport aircraft and helicopters, slipways (parachute swings), springboards, etc., which ensures that the educational process is conducted in accordance with the requirements of military pedagogy.
All parachutes produced before 1946 were designed for jumping from aircraft at a flight speed of 160–200 km/h. In connection with the emergence of new aircraft and an increase in the speed of their flight, it became necessary to develop parachutes that ensure normal jumping at speeds up to 300 km / h.
An increase in the speed and altitude of aircraft flight required a fundamental improvement in the parachute, the development of the theory of parachute jumps and the practical development of jumps from high altitudes using oxygen parachute devices, at different speeds and flight modes.
In 1947, the PD-47 parachute was developed and produced. The authors of the design are N. A. Lobanov, M. A. Alekseev, A. I. Zigaev. The parachute had a square-shaped percale dome with an area of 71.18 m 2 and a mass of 16 kg.
Unlike all previous parachutes, the PD-47 had a cover that was put on the main canopy before being placed in a satchel. The presence of the cover reduced the likelihood of the canopy being overwhelmed by lines, ensured the sequence of the opening process and reduced the dynamic load on the parachutist at the time of filling the canopy with air. So the problem of landing at high speeds was solved. At the same time, along with the solution of the main task - ensuring landing at high speeds, the PD-47 parachute had a number of disadvantages, in particular, a large dispersion area for paratroopers, which created a threat of their convergence in the air during a mass landing. In order to eliminate the shortcomings of the PD-47 parachute, a group of engineers led by F.D. Tkachev in 1950 - 1953. developed several variants of landing parachutes of the Pobeda type.
In 1955, the D-1 parachute with an 82.5 m 2 round dome, made of percale, weighing 16.5 kg, was adopted to supply the airborne troops. The parachute made it possible to jump from aircraft at flight speeds up to 350 km/h.
In 1959, in connection with the advent of high-speed military transport aircraft, it became necessary to improve the D-1 parachute. The parachute was equipped with a stabilizing parachute, and the parachute pack, main canopy cover and exhaust ring were also upgraded. The authors of the improvement were the brothers Nikolai, Vladimir and Anatoly Doronin. The parachute was named D-1-8.
In the seventies, a more advanced landing parachute D-5 entered service. It is simple in design, easy to operate, has a single laying method and allows jumping from all types of military transport aircraft into several streams at speeds up to 400 km/h. Its main differences from the D-1-8 parachute are the absence of an exhaust ball parachute, the immediate activation of the stabilizing parachute, and the absence of covers for the main and stabilizing parachutes. The main dome with an area of 83 m 2 has a round shape, made of nylon, the weight of the parachute is 13.8 kg. A more advanced type of D-5 parachute is the D-6 parachute and its modifications. It allows you to freely turn in the air with the help of special control lines, as well as significantly reduce the speed of the parachutist's drift downwind by moving the free ends of the harness.
At the end of the twentieth century, the airborne troops received an even more advanced parachute system - the D-10, which, thanks to the increased area of \u200b\u200bthe main dome (100 m 2), allows you to increase the flight weight of the paratrooper and provides a lower speed of his descent and landing. Modern parachutes, characterized by high deployment reliability and making it possible to perform jumps from any height and at any flight speed of military transport aircraft, are constantly being improved, so the study of parachute jumping technique, the development of ground training methods and practical jumping continues.
This Manual defines: the duties of officials for airborne training, the main provisions for organizing the training of personnel, weapons, military, special equipment and cargo for landing, the rules for performing parachute jumps from various types of military transport aircraft and helicopters, the procedure for conducting military units parachuting activities. It sets out the main provisions for the supply, storage and operation of airborne equipment.The Guide also defines the main responsibilities of officials military transport aviation regarding the provision of training parachute jumps.
Guidelines RVDP-79 and RVDT-80, with the release of this Guide, lose their force.
CHAPTER 1
GENERAL PROVISIONS.
1. This Manual contains the basic instructions and requirements for the organization of airborne training in formations and military units of the Armed Forces Russian Federation, whose combat training program includes airborne training.
Guidelines (RVDP-79 and RVDT-80), with the release of this Guide, lose their force.
2. Airborne training is the subject of combat training and technical support troops. It aims to ensure the constant readiness of personnel, weapons, military, special equipment and cargo (hereinafter AME and cargo) for landing to perform combat and special tasks.
Airborne training includes:
preparation of formations and military units for landing;
training of personnel to skillfully perform parachute jumps from military transport aircraft with full combat gear, day and night, in simple and difficult meteorological conditions, at any time of the year and on various terrain, as well as training in the preparation of military and military equipment and cargo for landing;
organizing the operation and repair of airborne equipment and keeping it in constant readiness for use;
Timely provision of formations, military units and subunits with the necessary airborne equipment and property, keeping them in constant combat readiness for use;
systematic improvement of knowledge, improvement of the skills and abilities of personnel in the preparation of military and military equipment and cargo for landing and parachuting;
Continuous improvement of the methods of airborne training, high-quality conduct of classes, taking into account the individual characteristics and moral and psychological qualities of each paratrooper;
Conducting test sessions with the officers on time;
Continuous improvement of the educational and material base for airborne training and maintaining it in good condition;
Development and implementation of measures to maintain airborne equipment in good condition;
Organization and conduct of special training of personnel of the airborne service;
Organization and holding of test sessions for airborne training with officers;
Organization and conduct of thorough control of all stages of the preparation of personnel, military equipment and cargo for landing;
Training of officers, ensigns and sergeants to perform the duties of a graduate;
Control and briefing of paratroopers at the start lines;
Ensuring the reception of paratroopers at the landing site;
The study of the preconditions for parachute accidents, the timely analysis of cases of abnormal operation of airborne equipment and the adoption necessary measures to warn them;
Generalization of advanced experience in airborne training for the purpose of its dissemination and practical use in military units and formations;
Continuous improvement of the educational and material base for airborne training;
Management of inventive and rationalization work aimed at improving airborne equipment and personnel training methods;
Participation in conducting military tests of new types of airborne equipment and military transport aircraft;
Organization and holding of events for the development in military units and divisions of parachuting and the delivery of discharge standards;
Accounting and reporting for the service.
8. The following tasks are assigned to military units and airborne support units:
Preparation of airborne equipment for use;
- maintenance in constant combat readiness, transportation and unloading (loading) of airborne equipment;
Participation, together with subdivisions and military units, in the preparation of weapons and military equipment and cargo for landing;
Collection and maintenance of airborne equipment after landing;
Carrying out technical inspections and maintenance procedures with airborne equipment, automatic devices and parachute safety devices;
Ensuring military repair and modification of airborne equipment;
Continuous improvement of the knowledge and skills of personnel in the preparation of airborne equipment for use.
9. The aviation units of the Airborne Troops are entrusted with the task of ensuring airborne training of formations and military units.
10. All airborne training activities must be carried out in strict accordance with this Manual, the organizational and methodological instructions of the commander of the Airborne Forces for operational, mobilization and combat training for the academic year, combat training programs and relevant instructions.
11. The main activities of airborne training are:
Preparation of personnel for parachute jumps;
Organization and conduct of parachute jumps;
Preparation for the landing of weapons and military equipment and cargo and their practical landing.
12. Skydiving is the most difficult and responsible stage of airborne training.
Successful parachute jumping is achieved by their precise organization, careful control of the readiness of human landing parachutes and personnel for jumping, strict adherence to the requirements of this Manual and a high level of training of all personnel.
13. Military personnel who meet special medical requirements, who have studied the full course of ground training, and who have passed tests with a grade of at least “good” are allowed to make parachute jumps.
14. With officers, warrant officers and contract servicemen who do not have airborne training, training sessions are held on the scale of a formation (military unit), during which they are trained in the scope of the training program for military personnel to make the first parachute jump and all necessary documents are drawn up for allowing them to perform parachute jumps.
15. With military personnel who have a break in the practical performance of parachute jumps (more than six months), at least two additional classes are held for ground testing of the elements of a parachute jump with the acceptance of offsets. After conducting these classes, an act is drawn up and an order is issued by the commander of the military unit on the admission of personnel to parachute jumps.
16. When entering service with other types of parachute systems, additional training is organized and conducted with personnel to study the material part and laying of these parachute systems and the features of controlling them in the air until the moment of landing. The time and number of additional classes is determined depending on the complexity of the device and the features of packing a new parachute and the task of the upcoming jump.
The admission of personnel to jumping on parachute systems of a new type is carried out by order of the commander of the military unit, issued on the basis of an act on the results of control and verification exercises on knowledge of the material part, laying, operating rules of this parachute system and the results of ground training.
17. Soldiers who make the first parachute jump are issued the badge "Parachutist". The badge is presented in front of the formation of the unit (military unit) in a solemn atmosphere.
18. Servicemen who have perfectly mastered the airborne training program, who have made at least 10 parachute jumps, who have excellent marks in airborne, fire, tactical, drill training, and in the rest not lower than the mark “good” and who have no violations of military discipline, by order the commander of a formation (military unit) or the head of a military educational institution is awarded the title of "Excellent Parachutist".
Those who have received the title of "Excellent Parachutist" are issued a badge and a corresponding entry is made in the military ID (Appendix No. 1).
19. Officers, warrant officers and contract servicemen who have a positive attestation for their position, who have sufficient experience in airborne training, who are fluent in the technique of jumping with human landing parachutes, who have excellent knowledge of airborne equipment and the procedure for preparing it for landing, who have passed the established tests with an “excellent” rating, by order of the commander of the Airborne Forces, the title of “Airborne Training Instructor” is awarded and a certificate and badge are issued.
Candidates for the title of "Airborne Training Instructor" must have at least 40 parachute jumps and have experience in parachuting from an Il-76 aircraft and the like;
The preparation of candidates and the acceptance of tests are carried out in accordance with the Regulations on conferring the title of "Airborne Training Instructor" (Appendix No. 2).
20. In order to improve the knowledge and practical skills of officers in airborne training in military units and formations of the Airborne Forces, credit sessions are held annually with officers. Ensigns with the title of "Airborne Training Instructor" (Appendix No. 3) are also involved in the passing of the test session.
Test sessions are held with officers of the airborne service and unit commanders landing AMSE and cargo of their units on parachute platforms, parachute-reactive systems, parachute-straddle systems for admission to independent control of the readiness for landing AMSE and cargo of their subordinate units.
Offsets are accepted by a special qualification commission appointed by order of the unit commander (head of the military educational institution).
The admission of persons to independent control of the readiness of military and military equipment and cargo for landing is carried out by order of the unit commander (head of the military educational institution), based on the results of the test session.
21. Training of personnel in preparation for the landing of AMSE and cargo is organized and carried out in all military units and subunits, the AMSE and cargo of which are counted on landing.
The preparation of military equipment and cargo for landing is carried out by the personnel of the units under the close supervision of their commanders and officers (specialists) of the airborne service.
One of the main types of combat training of the airborne troops; is aimed at training VAT units to land behind enemy lines to perform combat missions.
1. Content of airborne training
Airborne training includes:
In the course of airborne training, the procedure for boarding aircraft (helicopters), the rules for using oxygen equipment, the execution of commands and signals given to prepare for the jump, for training starting position and separation from the aircraft, the actions of a parachutist in the air during free fall after separation from the aircraft, when opening the parachute, during descent and at the time of landing, including on various obstacles (water, forest, buildings, etc.).
The most important part of airborne training is training parachute jumps, which are performed in special classes. Airborne training is being improved in military tactical exercises with practical landing. To conduct special classes, airborne training complexes equipped with devices and training devices are being created.
See also
Sources
- Soviet military encyclopedia"BABYLON - civilian" / / = (Soviet military encyclopedia) / Marshal Soviet Union N. V. Ogarkov - chairman. - M.: Military Publishing, 1979. - T. 2. - S. 285-286. - ISBN 00101-236(Rus.)
