Warbird Information Exchange

The helicopter also greatly reduced the number of "True" airborne units except for use in strategic deployments. Modern examples, Grenada, Panama and Iraq. This doesn't really impact SOF who still use HALO and static line insertions for tactical surprise.

All the way!

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Cheers!

Lance Jones

Seems to be some confusion here. The DFS 230 had a high-aspect ratio wing, and the Hotspur, a 'concept copy' also did and was based on standard glider principles for the time, rather than the later heavy lifters with their lower aspect ratio, thick wings.

So the first British design wasn't even at 'the start', and the initial British drive for gliders was a shocked need to copy the coup de main of Eben-Emael, not realising it was not actually undertaken with the long glide-in they believed it had been.

Be that as it may, and when dealing with initial concepts not utilised it's a very slippery thing, the answer I was looking for was the change in aspect ratio from the earliest military gliders to the later, heavier, lower aspect ratio examples, with their poorer glide ratios.

That all said, many thanks for your excellent insight! I was wondering if we had any glider experts here...

Regards,

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

In reply to rreis the cost of the parachutes needed to drop 128 troops wouldn't even come anywhere near the cost of the rotor system of the helicopter that would only carry a small number of those troops.
Incidentally the number of parachutes needed for the drop I witnessed would have been closer to 264, one main parachute and reserve for each man, a few spare reserves and four supply chutes for the door bundles and wedge stores. As to using helicopters I rekon you are looking at at least 4 Chinooks to carry that lot - but how far?

The last time Britain dropped assault paratroops in anger was also the first time the helicopter was used for airborne assault. Suez 1956

My reasoning is if, economically, it is still valid that a glider is better than dropping the same number of parachutes. I assume you can't re-use the parachutes spent in the same vein you can not reuse the gliders. Off course, if you put helis in the equation, they are reusable and that should be taken into account.

cheers!

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rreis

If you want pictures, see rreis@flickr

A slight diversion, but would everyone agree that the only war that gliders were used in action was W.W.II; although there were extensive trials pre-war in the USSR and Germany, and postwar the British used gliders on exercise Longstop II in 1947 - AFAIK, the last time gliders were used.

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James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Sounds probable James. I admit I didn't know about the German and Russian pre-war trials but post WW2 helicopters became available in time for further conflicts.