Monday, March 14, 2016
The McGuire Rig:
CCN Team at Phú Bài
project Delta circa 1964-1965. The McGuire rig was a device for
extracting up to 3 patrol members in one go from area's in the jungle that were inaccessible, or where enemy fire prevented a normal helicopter extraction.
The rig was basically a 2in wide webbing sling, which was attached to the end of a rope, which was in turn lowered from a hovering
helicopter. The individual(s) would then place the web sling around
their buttocks (sitting in it), and slip their hands through the wrist
loops that were attached to the sling. These would tighten up to
prevent the person from falling as he was hoisted away by the
helicopter.
The main limitations with the McGuire rig were that it had to be
fitted while standing upright, and that the users hands were NOT free to untangle themselves, fire a weapon, or use a radio. The rig was also uncomfortable and impaired the blood circulation, for these reasons it was normally used only in dire emergency situations which involved short distances of flight.
The STABO rig:
A direct descendant of the McGuire rig and was first demonstrated by the Special Forces MACV RECONDO school on the 1st of October 1968. The STABO rig was a more efficient extraction harness.
The new rig was developed by Maj. Robert Stevens, Cpt. John Knabb, and Sfc Cliff Roberts, all of whom were instructors at the Nha Trang RECONDO school. This new extraction harness was called the STABO rig, a name derived from the initials of its creators. The first test rigs were locally produced, when these were deemed satisfactory the 5th SFG put in a priority request for 1000 rigs on the 30th of June 1969.
The STABO rig was made from nylon webbing and resembled a parachute harness, and the infantry mans standard load bearing equipment.
The main lift harness straps formed an "X" across the wearers back,
the leg straps were kept secured rolled up with elastic bands, in
order to stop them from dangling loose. These would only be buckled up via metal "D" rings under the wearers crotch when he was to be extracted. The harness replaced the normal pistol belt suspenders. The pistol belt itself was threaded through the loops in the harness and allowed various items (waterbottle, ammo pouches, etc) to be attached to it in the normal way.
The Army dragged its feet here a bit by instituting a long and drawn
out state-side series of safety tests which were not completed until
31st of March 1970. In the meantime Special Forces had to rely on a limited supply of approx 500 STABO rigs. These had been produced by the 2nd logistical command on Okinawa and purchased through the counterinsugency support office. Eventually regular Army funds became available, and Natick labs began procurement procedures.
An overall improvement over the McGuire rig, and a much safer means of achieving a helicopter extraction (although this method of extraction could still give even the toughest "Ombre" the "pucker factor" big time!), the STABO rig was a good piece of kit. It could be used to extract a man who was unconscious, and if not unconscious would permit the individual to still fire his weapon or use a radio if needed.
From the 16th of October to the 31st of December 1970 approx 3,300 STABO rigs were sent to the 5th SFG and MACV-SOG in Vietnam, and to the 46th SF Co in Thailand.
Sources: US Army Special Forces 1952-1984 by G.L.Rottman.
Vietnam US Uniforms in colour photographs by K.Lyles.
Special Forces of the US Army 52-82 by LTC I.D.Sutherland.
US Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War by S.Stanton.
MARTIN.....A non vet, interested party, and collector of such thing
---------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Tingey , Got Zips in the wire!!!/ Phu Bai is alright !!!
Development Stabo rig
It was designed and developed by U.S. Army Special Forces personnel stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and became a widely used, and highly successful extraction device employed during the Vietnam War.
History
Sergeant First Class Clifford L. Roberts, U.S. Army, Special Forces, drew up the first design on a napkin, after a wounded Special Forces Soldier fell out of a McGuire extraction rig, during a combat extraction mission. SFC Roberts used the unit's parachute loft, and made the first prototype on the sewing machines used to service and repair parachutes. He was then sent to present the design. The design was approved and 500 rigs were ordered. SFC Roberts was awarded a Bronze Star for the design. [2]The STABO harness/rig was a machine-stitched, skeletonized harness, very similar to that of a standard parachute harness. The harness webbing was made of heavy duty nylon, identical to the type used in the manufacture of parachute harnesses. The STABO rig served two main functions: it was itself an extraction harness and also served as the base for the operator's load bearing equipment in the field. Later versions of the STABO harness were made in small, medium and large sizes.
Use
To ready a STABO harness for rope extraction, the two leg straps (normally folded and stowed during ground operations (secured by utility tape or rubber bands)) were freed from the back of the harness, routed up between the legs, and each leg strap was then snapped onto a V ring, with one mounted on each lower front waist of the harness. A standard issue LBE pistol belt was laced through the center sections of the rig, and fastened around the operator's waist, which served as the main closure device for the overall rig on the operator.The operator was extracted using a dual rope (or strap) 'Y' design system (one per each STABO rig), lowered by a helicopter. Each strap end typically retained a large carabiner fastener, which was clipped to a large V or D ring permanently attached to each upper shoulder strap of the rig. Once both carabiners were attached to the upper V/D rings on the rig, the operator could then be lifted out vertically by the helicopter. (This extraction method was often referred to informally as the "strings" method.)
The STABO rig was far more secure, safe and comfortable than the McGuire rig, and perhaps most importantly, it allowed the unrestricted use of the operator's hands, to operate any weapons during the frequently 'hot' extractions from a combat landing or pickup zone. Further, the rig was equally effective if an operator was wounded or unconscious.
As the STABO rig was used as the base for operator's personal LBE harness, it was worn for the full duration of the combat operation, in which to allow for rapid extraction by the rope ("strings") method, if a conventional helicopter LZ could not be quickly established (which was frequently experienced in South East Asia, as reconnaissance teams were operating deep in heavily forested enemy territory).
The current US Military method for extracting troops using the helicopter rope method, is the Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction (SPIE) system, a direct and close descendant of the STABO rig system that was developed and pioneered in Vietnam/SEA.
References
McGUIRE RIG
STABO HARNESS
The STABO rig or harness shown here with three 5th SFG NCO's. Both hands are free and use of a weapon is not restricted. The soldier on the right is SFC Clifford Roberts one of the inventors of the STABO extration harness. This rig was tested at the RECONDO School on 281st aircraft but was not actually used by Project Delta until early 1970. (Photo: "US Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War," Shelby Stanton)
EXTRACTION EQUIPMENT
Attaching block, Ropes, Ladder, STABO harness (Photo: "US Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War," Shelby Stanton)
STABO RIG
An unidentified RECONDO Instructor shown with STABO Harness (Photo: "US Army Uniforms of the Vietnam War," Shelby Stanton)
LADDER TRAINING
281st UH-1H #113 at the RECONDO School training LRRPS and aircrew in Ladder Operations (Picture compliments of Dennis Crowe Bandit 23)
Skyhook - Fulton surface-to-air recovery system
-
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2013) 
The Fulton system in use
The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system (STARS) is a system used by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), United States Air Force and United States Navy for retrieving persons on the ground using aircraft such as the MC-130E Combat Talon I. It involves using an overall-type harness and a self-inflating balloon which carries an attached lift line. An MC-130E engages the line with its V-shaped yoke and the person is reeled on board. Red flags on the lift line guide the pilot during daylight recoveries; lights on the lift line are used for night recoveries. Recovery kits were designed for one and two-man retrievals.The Fulton system in use from below
This system was developed by inventor Robert Edison Fulton, Jr., for the Central Intelligence Agency in the early 1950s. It was an evolution from a similar system[1] that was used during World War II by American and British forces to retrieve both personnel, and downed assault gliders following airborne operations. The earlier system did not use a balloon, but had a pair of poles that were set in the ground on either side of the person to be retrieved, with a line running from the top of one pole to the other. An aircraft, usually a C-47 Skytrain, would trail a grappling hook and engage the line, which was attached to the person to be retrieved.
Contents
The Skyhook system
Experiments began in 1950 with the CIA and Air Force. Using a weather balloon, nylon line, and 10- to 15-pound weights, Fulton made numerous pickup attempts as he sought to develop a reliable procedure. Successful at last, he had his son photograph the operation. Fulton then took the film to Admiral Luis de Florez, who had become the first director of technical research at the CIA. Believing that the program could best be handled by the military, de Florez put Fulton in touch with the Office of Naval Research. Thanks to de Florez's interest, Fulton received a development contract from ONR's Air Programs Division.
This section may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards, as it is a close copy of cia.gov source. (January 2016)
Over the next few years, Fulton refined the air and ground equipment for the pickup system. Based at El Centro, California, he conducted numerous flights over the desert, using a Navy P2V Neptune for the pickups. He gradually increased the weight of the pickup until the line began to break. A braided nylon line with a test strength of 4,000 pounds (1800 kilograms) solved the problem. More vexing were the difficulties that were experienced with the locking device, or sky anchor, that secured the line to the aircraft. Fulton eventually resolved this problem, [clarification needed] which he considered the most demanding part of the entire developmental process.
By 1958, the Fulton aerial retrieval system, or Skyhook, had taken its final shape. A package that easily could be dropped from an aircraft contained the necessary ground equipment for a pickup. It featured a harness, for cargo or person, that was attached to a 500-foot (150 m), high-strength, braided nylon line. A portable helium bottle inflated a dirigible-shaped balloon, raising the line to its full height.
The pickup aircraft sported two tubular steel "horns" protruding from its nose, 30 feet long and spread at a 70° angle. The aircraft would fly into the line, aiming at a bright mylar marker placed at the 425-foot (130 m) level. As the line was caught between the forks on the nose of the aircraft, the balloon was released and at the same time the spring-loaded trigger mechanism (sky anchor) secured the line to the aircraft. As the line streamed under the fuselage, it was snared by the pickup crew, using a J-hook. It was then attached to a powered winch and pulled on board. The aircraft also had cables strung from the nose to the wingtips to keep the balloon line away from the propellers, in case the catch was unsuccessful.Illustration of operating principle of the Fulton recovery system
Fulton first used instrumented dummies as he prepared for a live pickup. He next used a pig, as pigs have nervous systems close to humans. Lifted off the ground, the pig began to spin as it flew through the air at 125 mph (200 km/h). It arrived on board uninjured but in a disoriented state. Once it recovered, it attacked the crew.[2]
Later the US Navy tested the Fulton system fitted to modified S-2 Tracker carrier-based antisubmarine patrol aircraft for use in rescuing downed pilots. It is unknown whether a Fulton equipped S-2 was ever used on a combat mission.
First human pickups
The CIA had secretly trained Special Activities Division paramilitary officers to use a predecessor system for human pickups as early as 1952. The first human recovery mission authorized for operational use of this "all American system" took place in Manchuria on 29 November 1952. CIA C-47 pilots Norman Schwartz and Robert Snoddy were trained in the aerial pickup technique towards the end of 1952. CIA paramilitary officers John T. Downey and Richard G. Fecteau, themselves hurriedly trained in the procedure during the week of 24 November, were to recover a courier who was in contact with anti-communist sympathizers in the area. The mission failed when Chinese forces downed the aircraft with small arms fire, capturing survivors Downey and Fecteau. The British allegedly also used the American system for personnel.[2]The Fulton balloon
The first human pickup using Fulton's STARS took place on 12 August 1958, when Staff Sergeant Levi W. Woods of the U.S. Marine Corps was winched on board the Neptune.[3] Because of the geometry involved, the person being picked up experienced less of a shock than during a parachute opening. After the initial contact, which was described by one individual as similar to "a kick in the pants", the person rose vertically at a slow rate to about 100 feet, then began to streamline behind the aircraft. Extension of arms and legs prevented spinning as the individual was winched on board. The process took about six minutes.
In August 1960, Capt. Edward A. Rodgers, commander of the Naval Air Development Unit, flew a Skyhook-equipped P2V to Point Barrow, Alaska, to conduct pickup tests under the direction of Dr. Max Brewer, head of the Navy's Arctic Research Laboratory. With Fulton on board to monitor the equipment, the Neptune picked up mail from Floating Ice Island T-3, also known as Fletcher's Ice Island, retrieved artifacts, including mastodon tusks, from an archaeological party on the tundra, and secured geological samples from Peters Lake Camp. The high point of the trials came when the P2V dropped a rescue package near the icebreaker USS Burton Island. Retrieved by a ship's boat, the package was brought on deck, the balloon inflated, and the pickup accomplished.
Project Coldfeet
The first operational use of Skyhook was Project COLDFEET, an examination of an abandoned Soviet drift station. Two agents parachuted to station NP 8 in May 1962. After 72 hours at the site, a pick-up was made of the Soviet equipment that had been gathered and of both men. The mission yielded information on the Soviet Union’s Arctic research activities, including evidence of advanced research on acoustical systems to detect under-ice submarines and efforts to develop Arctic anti-submarine warfare techniques.[2]
Later use
The Fulton system was used from 1965 to 1996 on several variants of the C-130 Hercules including the MC-130s and HC-130s. Despite the apparent high-risk nature of the system, only one fatal accident occurred in 17 years of use (in 1982). The increased availability of long-range helicopters such as the MH-53 Pave Low, HH-60 Pave Hawk and MH-47 Chinook, and the MV-22 Osprey and CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, all with aerial refueling capability, caused this system to be used less often. In September 1996, the Air Force Special Operations Command ceased maintaining the capability to deploy this system.
In popular culture
The Skyhook was seen in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball. In the final sequence, James Bond and his companion Domino Vitali are rescued at sea by a modified Boeing B-17 equipped with the Fulton system.[4]
The Skyhook system was also featured prominently in the 2008 movie, The Dark Knight. First mentioned by Lucius Fox as a means of re-boarding an aircraft without it landing,[5] the system is attached to a Lockheed L-100 Hercules. It is used by Batman to kidnap the corrupt Chinese accountant Lau and escape the Hong Kong police, so that Batman could bring him back to Gotham City to face Harvey Dent, where Lau became an informant.[6] Lau had previously fled to Hong Kong and stayed in his company's skyscraper offices (the real-life International Finance Centre 1[7]) to avoid US custody and extrication, necessitating the kidnapping and a method to get back to the plane without it landing.[8]
The Skyhook is also featured as a core gameplay mechanic in the videogame Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.[9]
See also
- Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction
- United States Air Force#Personnel Recovery
- Special Activities Division
References
- Video: B-29s Rule Jap Skies,1944/12/18 (1944). Universal Newsreel. 1944. Retrieved 20 February 2012.
- "Robert Fultons Skyhook and Operation Coldfeet". Center for the Study of Intelligence. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- "500-Foot High Jump". Popular Mechanics, April 1960, p. 111.
- "Not just a flight of fancy: 'Skyhook' that rescued James Bond from the ocean at the end of Thunderball was designed to recover real-life CIA agents from behind enemy lines". Mail Online. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- Christopher Nolan (2008). The Dark Night (Motion Picture). 28 minutes in. ASIN B001GZ6QC4. OCLC 259231584.
Bruce Wayne: "And what about getting back into the plane?" Lucius Fox: "I'd recommend a good travel agent." Bruce Wayne: "Without it landing." Lucius Fox: "Now that's more like it. The CIA had a program back in the '60s for getting their people out of hotspots called Skyhook. We could look into that."
- Christopher Nolan (2008). The Dark Night (Motion Picture). 37 minutes in. ASIN B001GZ6QC4. OCLC 259231584.
- Pulver, Andrew. "Top 10 films set in Hong Kong". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- Hall, Peter. "Did You Know the Plane Extraction Scene from 'The Dark Knight' Used Real CIA Technology?". movies.com. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
Hình ảnh dây Thụy Sĩ / Staborig
STABO
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaSergeant First Class Clifford L. Roberts, U.S. Army, Special Forces, drew up the first design on a napkin, after a wounded Special Forces Soldier fell out of a McGuire extraction rig, during a combat extraction mission. SFC Roberts used the unit's parachute loft, and made the first prototype on the sewing machines used to service and repair parachutes. He was then sent to present the design. The design was approved and 500 rigs were ordered. SFC Roberts was awarded a Bronze Star for the design. [2]
The STABO (STAbilized BOdy) [1] extraction harness was a device which allowed military personnel to be rescued (by helicopter) from field locations which prevented the conventional landing and boarding of a helicopter.This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2011)
It was designed and developed by U.S. Army Special Forces personnel stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, and became a widely used, and highly successful extraction device employed during the Vietnam War.
History
The STABO harness/rig was a machine-stitched, skeletonized harness, very similar to that of a standard parachute harness. The harness webbing was made of heavy duty nylon, identical to the type used in the manufacture of parachute harnesses. The STABO rig served two main functions: it was itself an extraction harness and also served as the base for the operator's load bearing equipment in the field. Later versions of the STABO harness were made in small, medium and large sizes.
Use
To ready a STABO harness for rope extraction, the two leg straps (normally folded and stowed during ground operations (secured by utility tape or rubber bands)) were freed from the back of the harness, routed up between the legs, and each leg strap was then snapped onto a V ring, with one mounted on each lower front waist of the harness. A standard issue LBE pistol belt was laced through the center sections of the rig, and fastened around the operator's waist, which served as the main closure device for the overall rig on the operator.
The operator was extracted using a dual rope (or strap) 'Y' design system (one per each STABO rig), lowered by a helicopter. Each strap end typically retained a large carabiner fastener, which was clipped to a large V or D ring permanently attached to each upper shoulder strap of the rig. Once both carabiners were attached to the upper V/D rings on the rig, the operator could then be lifted out vertically by the helicopter. (This extraction method was often referred to informally as the "strings" method.)
The STABO rig was far more secure, safe and comfortable than the McGuire rig, and perhaps most importantly, it allowed the unrestricted use of the operator's hands, to operate any weapons during the frequently 'hot' extractions from a combat landing or pickup zone. Further, the rig was equally effective if an operator was wounded or unconscious.
As the STABO rig was used as the base for operator's personal LBE harness, it was worn for the full duration of the combat operation, in which to allow for rapid extraction by the rope ("strings") method, if a conventional helicopter LZ could not be quickly established (which was frequently experienced in South East Asia, as reconnaissance teams were operating deep in heavily forested enemy territory).
The current US Military method for extracting troops using the helicopter rope method, is the Special Patrol Insertion/Extraction (SPIE) system, a direct and close descendant of the STABO rig system that was developed and pioneered in Vietnam/SEA.
References
- Acronym as per Army Training Manual TM 10-1670-262-12&P (1993)
Equipped with a standard pistol belt, the harness was also designed in part to replace the M1956 / M1967 Load Carrying Suspenders. The STABOs leg straps were folded up and secured by tape or rubber bands against the shoulder straps until needed.
The first production STABO was supplied by the Counter Insurgency Support Office (CISO), which procured 500 harnesses (at a cost of $5 each) for Special Forces in March 1969. After completing safety tests and revising their cost estimates down from $100 to $14.50 per unit, Natick Labs was instructed in May 1970 to procure 1,370 harnesses for use by Army recon units in Vietnam. Both the CISO and Natick models were produced in small, medium and large sizes. However, the Natick STABO had several enhancements, including: padded shoulders, adjustable leg straps and a permanently sewn in pistol belt.1
1.
E308, ENSURE, Records of the U.S. Army Concept Team Activity, Records
of the United States Forces in Southeast Asia, 1950-1975, Record Group
472, National Archives at College Park, MD
Skyhook
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