By Mr. Mike Shelton, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command FORT BRAGG, North Carolina – Some of the nation’s elite Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division and 3rd Special Forces Group have finalized testing the Army’s new Parachutist Flotation Device (PFD). Preparation for the PFD test started in mid-April 2021 […]
airdrop
82nd Airborne Soldiers airdrop test new Infantry Squad Vehicle at Ft. Bragg
By Mr. Wayne Lovely, Military Test Plans Analyst, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command FORT BRAGG, North Carolina – Infantry Soldiers here are testing the new Infantry Squad Vehicle to see if it allows rapid battlefield movement without having to wait on a ride or moving by foot. Soldiers from […]
Army Airborne School replaces J-1 training parachute after testing new J-3 chute system
By Sgt. 1st Class Abdiel Kittler and Mr. James Cochran (JC), Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command FORT BENNING, Georgia — The Army’s newest airborne paratroopers will soon be learning how to jump using a new training parachute tested here recently. Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate (ABNSOTD) certified test […]
Next generation of night vision technology tested before equipping warfighters
By Mr. Mike Shelton, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command FORT BRAGG, North Carolina – Operational Airborne Soldiers here wrapped up testing new night vision goggles and a laser range finder. To determine the operational effectiveness and suitability of the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle – Binocular (ENVG-B) — the Army’s […]
New reserve parachute testing seeks to eliminate potential premature activations
Sgt. 1st Class Vatasana Phorimavong, a jumpmaster with the 82nd Airborne Division, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Air Operations noncommissioned oficer-in-charge conducts an inspection of a Soldier rigged with the T-11R Single Pin parachute to ensure he is combat ready for airborne operations. (Photo by Michael Zigmond, Photographer, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army […]
Ft. Bragg parachute riggers turn air drop testing skills into ‘Operation Iron Mask’ for Coronavirus pandemic
By Maj. Cam Jordan, Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate, U.S. Army Operational Test Command FORT BRAGG, North Carolina — Parachute riggers who normally airdrop test Army equipment are using their sewing skills to fabricate protective masks to keep Soldiers and Civilians safe during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In what they have dubbed “Operation Iron Mask,” […]
