The Army’s airborne parachute equipment has been controversial for many years. The specifications of the U.S. T-11 do not meet the “rejection” requirements of our army for research and modification.

The picture shows the T-11 parachute used by the US military. (DVIDS)

[Reporter Wu Zheyu/Comprehensive Report] The Army's procurement of "airborne combat parachute equipment" has been controversial since the retirement of the previous generation T-10B personnel parachute. It was expected that the matter would be settled after the purchase, but the new equipment has still not arrived. According to the budget unfreezing report of the Ministry of National Defense, it turned out that two specifications of the T-11 parachute purchased from the United States did not meet the needs of our military. The Ministry of National Defense has expressed its rejection position to the United States and requested the United States to propose research and modifications. The current control progress requires that delivery must be completed before July 116.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that the "Airborne Combat Parachute Equipment" purchased 4,842 pieces of five items including the T-11 parachute. On May 5, 2014, through the samples provided by the United States, it was found that the specifications of two equipment packages did not meet the needs of the military. It requested the United States to propose a research and improvement plan through a special management meeting. On October 28 of the same year, a letter was formally submitted through the delegation in the United States, expressing the military's position not to accept equipment packages with incorrect specifications. Communication and negotiations with the United States are ongoing through AIT.

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The Ministry of National Defense pointed out that in response to the above-mentioned equipment that did not meet the specifications, a special US team was sent to Taiwan for study on April 17, 2015. The US stated that it was an error on the part of the manufacturer, and the military continued to rely on the content of the offer letter for the military purchase case, requiring the US to complete the delivery of the equipment in accordance with the equipment specifications required by the military by the end of July.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that in order to implement control over the progress of the US operation, this case has been included in the discussion of this year's "China-US Conference". In addition, through a formal letter on April 10, the delegation in the United States forwarded the obstacles and demands of the military's arms purchase to the US Security Assistance Command for coordination.

The Ministry of National Defense explained that the main purpose of purchasing the T-11 parachute is to replace the existing T-10B (which has reached its maximum service life) old parachute to maintain the airborne combat energy of special operations forces; the T-11 parachute is centered on "large-scale personnel airdrop", and the US military's public information clearly stated that it is a safety-enhancing equipment to replace the T-10B. It has been evaluated that the airborne combat parachute can adapt to the battlefield environment, and its mission positioning and overall effectiveness meet combat needs.

The Ministry of National Defense emphasized that the T-11 parachute is designed to reduce the landing speed and impact of paratroopers and reduce personnel landing injuries. It is not a precision parachute for "tactical control". The design concept is consistent with the combat application trend of modern major airborne forces. "Long airborne time", "poor maneuverability" and "increased drift distance" are due to the physical characteristics of the parachute, not equipment defects. With the assistance of Air Force launch route planning and ground navigation platoon, it can meet tactical needs.

During the project construction and evaluation stages, the National Army has fully taken into account factors such as performance comparisons of various parachute types, actual application needs of the troops, and international development trends. After multiple tests and verifications, it has carefully decided to use the US military's active airborne combat T-11 parachute.

The Ministry of National Defense added that for the unqualified "universal equipment package" and "personal gun package", it has required the United States to provide the correct items according to the specifications of the offer letter, and has simultaneously contacted the AIT and the delegation in the United States. If it still cannot obtain compliant equipment, it will start a claim operation against the United States in accordance with the "Security Assistance Manual (SAMM)" specifications.