Capewell Wins US$1.6M Precision Airdrop Award from the Australian Department of Defence
08 January 2008
Capewell announced today, they received a US$1.6M award from the Royal Australian Air Force for its Joint Precision Air Drop System, JPADS.
Australia is the second country outside the United States to acquire this advanced technology Mission Planning (JPADS-MP) system. Capewell is partnered with Planning Systems Incorporated (PSI), who designed and manufactures the system, while Capewell markets JPADS-MP to international customers using its extensive marketing network.
The USAF has been using the system in Afghanistan and Iraq since August 2006, dropping an estimated 500,000 pounds of cargo per month, delivering supplies right to soldiers in the field. This system is responsible for saving lives by accurately dropping cargo from high altitudes, eliminating supply convoys and allowing aircrew to fly above ground threats. An estimated 500+ convoys have been kept off the roads by using JPADS-MP.
The Joint Precision Air Drop System is used for high altitude precision airdrop ensuring safe re-supply of needed cargo to the combatant. It provides the means to accurately drop cargo from altitudes as high as 25,000 feet. This cutting edge mission planner uses four dimensional assimilation of high resolution weather forecast fields, combined with one kilometer topography plus real time environmental sampling applied to ballistic and guided load models to produce accurate Computed Air Release Point (CARP) coordinates.
It is currently the most sophisticated and accurate system available worldwide.
