New Kevlar-based parachute rockets to repel RPG attacks

One very serious problem facing American and other armed forces in the field is the threat of being attacked by rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). These big guns are difficult to defend against, unless you've got some very fast moving and precise weaponry. So how's a soldier supposed to defend against a volley of one or more RPGs? Well, Control Products' freshly patented idea is to use a serious of smaller low-altitude rockets equipped with Kevlar parachutes form a slow moving curtain, which would reduce add drag to and the speed of the speeding RPG. While this sounds like a good and inexpensive countermeasure, we're not yet convinced by the cocktail napkin patent filing sketches, but hey, that hasn't stopped harebrained government check-writers from funding all other manner of whacked out technologies.

[Via NewScientistTech]

[Rohit Kapur @ Nov 21st 2006 6:55AM]

"... which would reduce add drag to and the speed of the speeding RPG."

Er... What?

[J @ Nov 21st 2006 7:07AM]

yeah this is full of typos...

[rj @ Nov 21st 2006 8:14AM]

"harebrained government" aka buggs bunny and the rest of the looney-toon gang.

Dude... invest in a good grammar/spell checker, or at the least have your work checked over by a mate. This isn't the first time I've had to use a decoder ring to read your blog entry.

[Unomi @ Nov 21st 2006 7:20AM]

If I'm not mistaken, I while ago there was a new kind of fabric that could prevent bullets to get trough. The fabric was just like normal clothing. I saw a demonstration of it on video.

Now I was thinking, if they would make an umbrella of it, you would have a bullet-proof shield with you all the time. That would become handy in certain area's where shootings are part of daily business....

- Unomi -

[LittleJoe @ Nov 21st 2006 7:27AM]

Despite the typos this seems pretty feasible. It would have to be extremely fast in its response though. Like a helicopter would have to be fitted with 360 sensors for heat and such. This thing could launch out of the bottom and fix on the object while dragging that chute behind it... the rpg would end up smashing into the chute.

Still... were just managing to get some real accuracy intercepting large, long range missles, so I can only imagine how hard it would be to intercept something small that would be in the air for just a few seconds.

[matto @ Nov 21st 2006 7:44AM]

Personally, I think that the money spent on devices like this would be much better spent on buying PS3 consoles for the enemies, a decent WI-FI broadband connection for the community and establishing a series of NATO-sponsored pizzerias with free delivery.

You know how it is, you got stuff to do - write a report, clean the house, shoot a rocket - but you just can't leave the game! Roll on the next generation of entertainment junkies as leaders.

matto

PS Firefox has that excellent spell check plug-in now - go and download it for you browser. It won't do much for the sentence structure, but hey.

[Ignacio @ Nov 21st 2006 7:48AM]

How about not starting wars with half a dozen countries each decade? Wouldn't that avoid the "threat of being attacked by rocket-propelled grenades" in a more effective way?

...

[ZS @ Nov 21st 2006 8:10AM]

So, if you aren't in combat at the moment, you say we should let military development stagnate?

[Ignacio @ Nov 21st 2006 9:20AM]

"So, if you aren't in combat at the moment, you say we should let military development stagnate?"

No, but neither is the current situation "right":
http://www.truemajorityaction.org/oreos/

[Dan Lucas @ Nov 21st 2006 8:34AM]

"Harebrained" is the correct spelling. "Hairbrained" is not totally incorrect either, depending on who you ask.

Oh and it's Bugs Bunny, with one 'g.'

[Rick @ Nov 21st 2006 8:22AM]

why are all the grammar police enforce this am? Dang, they are like sharks.. spot one miscue and they all circle the target.

[davandron @ Nov 21st 2006 8:42AM]

Coming from the defense industry with some experience in Man-Launched countermeasures, the major difficult part I see is getting the parachute to deployed in time. Launch / spike detectors are effective and in place on many vehicles. But you'd have to launch the countermeasure, wait to clear the vehicle, then deploy the chute and hope it opens before the RPG arrives.

LittleJoe: You might be surprised how easy it is to intercept RPGs; they are basically slow bullets with no guidance or maneuvering ability.

(Slightly different topic:) So, how much you want to guess the final product name has something to do with spiders or "web slinger" ??? 8^)

[Chris @ Nov 21st 2006 9:11AM]

is it just me or has the concept of proffreading gone out the window around here

[Scooter @ Nov 21st 2006 9:11AM]

I vote for the spell checker. Throw out parachutes of corrections and we won't flame your sloppy ass.

[vardeman @ Nov 21st 2006 9:48AM]

Whether the current situation is "right" or not is totally irrelevent to the conversation. Move on, Troll.

It seems to me that the "parashield" would basically be an advanced form of reactive armor that would serve to pre-detonate the incoming round. There could be MBT applications as well making HEAT rounds totally ineffective.

[Ignacio @ Nov 21st 2006 10:59AM]

It was a reply to a previous post. There is this thing called "thread", you may have heard of it?

[badnegro @ Nov 21st 2006 10:10AM]

ur grammar check are belong to us

[Antonio Rosario @ Nov 21st 2006 10:34AM]

"which would reduce add drag to and the speed of the speeding RPG"

Is this the Engrish translation?

Sloppy, sloppy.

[Jinky Williams @ Nov 21st 2006 11:00AM]

"New Kevlar-based parachute rockets to repel RPG attacks".

Well, I for one will sleep better knowing that we'll be protected against Blizzaga.

[Henry @ Nov 21st 2006 12:21PM]

If you were a true grammar freak, you would point out that RPG does not actually stand for rocket propelled grenade. That's a mistranslation of a Russian acronym. I forget what it most accurately stands for, it's probably on wikipedia.

[Jimmy @ Nov 21st 2006 1:57PM]

Right now, the military usesw chain-link fencing as armor for buildings to repel RPG attacks.

[CdoubleJ @ Nov 21st 2006 2:30PM]

Please use spell check. DAMNIT!