As of: March 28, 2024, 6:00 a.m
By: Boris Forstner
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During the last overflight, four packages were dropped one after the other from the A400M. © Photo: Herold
For almost two weeks, the Bundeswehr has been helping with the food supply in the Gaza Strip by dropping goods by parachute. So far this has happened with two C-130 Hercules aircraft stationed in France. The Altenstadt Airborne/Air Transport School (LL/LTS) has now developed a drop system for the A400M at record speed.
Altenstadt
– Excited eyes turn to the east. Around 50 soldiers stand on the so-called “San (Medicine) Hill” of the Franz Josef Strauss barracks in Altenstadt and wait until the Airbus A400M finally floats in. The huge transport plane has a special load on board on Tuesday afternoon: a total of nine pallets made in Altenstadt, the dropping of which will be tested that day.
When food support for the Gaza Strip began from the air, the local newspaper immediately asked the LL/LTS whether it was involved - after all, not only are paratroopers trained there, but the location is also a leader in the transport and dropping of food loads. Lieutenant Colonel Martin Holle replied that they had nothing to do with it - and soon had to revise themselves: Last week the Bundeswehr had given the LL/LTS the order to develop a system to safely drop relief supplies with the A400M.
Altenstadt residents should develop a cheap and safe alternative
Of course the plane can already do that. “But everything that is dropped over the Gaza Strip is irretrievably gone,” says Holle, commander of the LL/LTS. In order to protect the expensive material, a cheap and safe alternative should be developed in Altenstadt.
A package slides safely to the drop-off point at the barracks. © Photo: Herold
Around 30 soldiers from the air transport platoon immediately got to work with great motivation. Thanks to a scale model of the A400M on the barracks grounds, the experts were able to adapt the self-developed transport pallets precisely to the dimensions and requirements of the aircraft. After just a few days, the system was ready for practical testing. “Normally something like this takes months or years,” says an impressed Holle about his team.
On Tuesday morning, a total of nine pallets weighing up to 800 kilos were driven to Lagerlechfeld, 30 kilometers away. They were realistically loaded with food, namely water and food packages (EPA). The multiplex container was fixed with strong straps so that nothing could fall out; the parachute is also attached to it. An A400M flown in from Wunstorf in Lower Saxony picked up the load - and then it was said Waiting. The drop over the Altenstadt drop-off point, originally planned for 2:45 p.m., continued to be delayed. On the one hand, because everything was checked twice for the important test. On the other hand, because the Air Force was still training its own personnel on site, as we found out later .
Strong winds should not be underestimated
But around 5 p.m. the transport plane heads into the airspace over the barracks for the first time. In addition to the tower, a combat control team is also on duty to make sure everything is in order - they even launch a small weather balloon. At 12 to 14 knots (25 km/h, wind force 4), the wind should not be underestimated.
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The pilot completes a flyover to be safe. On the second approach he opened the loading flap. A pallet falls from a height of 400 meters, a large parachute opens quickly, the package sails elegantly to the ground, impacts and tips to the side. “That looked really good,” says Holle happily.
On the plane, the pallets are on conveyors. All you have to do is raise the nose of the A400M briefly and gravity will automatically eject the load through the open flap. You can control exactly how this should happen. “We decided to do five individual drops and finally a row drop with four pallets in a row,” says Holle.
Various parachute systems will also be tested during the test. After the first package with a large cargo parachute, the second pallet hangs on two smaller parachutes, followed by another large parachute and finally three small ones. But as early as drop four, a murmur goes through the crowd because the pallet is in free fall for longer than expected and the umbrellas only open late.
A total of nine of these pallets were dropped for testing. © Photo: Herold
This is topped by the last individual drop: The parachute doesn't open at all, the cargo hits the meadow with a dull thud and swirled dust rises up. Holle bears it with composure: “That’s why we’re rehearsing it.”
Load must be dropped over Gaza from greater heights
The discussion immediately begins among the experts as to what could have gone wrong. According to Holle, it is tricky to correctly set the predetermined breaking point, when and at what pulling force the parachute will automatically deploy. “We’ll probably have to readjust it again and see that the parachute opens earlier.”
This is of course extremely important so that no one gets hurt. Recently there were reports that five people died in the Gaza Strip because the parachute of a food pallet failed to open and hit a house. And accuracy also counts: numerous Palestinians recently drowned while trying to recover aid packages that ended up at sea. “In the Gaza Strip you have to drop the load from a much greater height because you have to expect fire from the ground,” says Holle.
After the package crashed, it was briefly unclear whether the series drop should still take place. The people of Altenstadt would like to abort the test, but the A400M crew decides otherwise and, after a few loops, comes over the drop-off point one last time. The four packages tumble out one after the other, all on two parachutes - and two of them seem to get caught in each other. But everything goes well, they land gently on the meadow. Holle is very happy with the result. Now the Bundeswehr just has to use the system.